Fatihspor Essen is facing a pivotal match. We spoke with coach Adem Durmus about staying in the Bezirksliga and the upcoming relegation battle.

Fatihspor Essen is fighting against relegation in Bezirksliga Division 6 in the Lower Rhine region. Coach Adem Durmus’s team is in a relegation spot after 24 matchdays.

After the first half of the season, Durmus declared in a Forecasting interview that he wanted to earn twice as many points in the second half as in the first. So far, however, the team has yet to win a game since the restart and has earned only three points from seven matches.

The gap to a non-relegation spot is now two points. Ironically, Fatihspor’s next opponent currently holds that crucial 14th place in the standings: Sportfreunde Königshardt.

When Fatihspor Essen visits Oberhausen on Sunday (March 29) at 3:15 p.m., it will be nothing less than a six-pointer. Fatihspor’s coach puts it just as clearly: “It’s a pivotal game. If we lose this match, we can start planning for a lower division. If we score or even win, our hopes are naturally much higher right away.“

Clear words, but despite the do-or-die situation, the mood in the team is positive: ”The guys are highly motivated. But there’s no pressure—more like excitement. The pressure has pretty much lifted by now. If it works out, it works out; if it doesn’t, then it doesn’t.”

Despite the difficult situation on the field, Durmus doesn’t believe that both teams will sit back and try to keep the score at zero: “I don’t think Königshardt will try to keep us at a distance during the game. They’ll apply pressure right away and challenge us.”

He, too, doesn’t want to play it safe with his team on the road. Anything is possible, and teams like Königshardt are on the same level as his team. “I think we can pull something off there. We have nothing left to lose. As things stand today, we’d be relegated. Let’s go for it—all or nothing—that’s the motto.”