FC Ingolstadt is Rot-Weiss Essen’s next opponent on Saturday (November 8, 2 p.m.). FCI head coach Sabrina Wittmann expects a close game.

FC Ingolstadt will host Rot-Weiss Essen on Saturday afternoon (November 8, 2 p.m., RS live ticker) at their home stadium, the Audi Sportpark. With a win, the Schanzer—who currently sit in 14th place in the 3. Liga—could close the gap to just three points behind fifth-place Essen.

After a weak start to the season, FCI has been on the upswing in recent weeks, celebrating three straight wins before suffering a 1-3 loss at Viktoria Köln last matchday despite taking an early lead.

“We’ve had quite a few games this season where we played better than the result suggested. That annoyed me much more than last week’s result. You just have to say that, along with the game against Duisburg (a 1-2 loss, Ed.), there were two matches where we weren’t on equal footing and deserved to lose,” said Ingolstadt head coach Sabrina Wittmann, summarizing the most recent defeat at the press conference ahead of the match against RWE.

Speaking about the upcoming opponent, she said: “Essen is a very ambitious team that’s ultimately capable of winning close games. It’s a team with a lot of power and many good players. You can definitely see their ambition on the field. That’s why we’re expecting a tough opponent.”

Uwe Koschinat’s team has already conceded 21 goals this season and has shown defensive vulnerabilities in some matches. For Wittmann, however, this has no impact on their game plan. “Regardless of whether they’re in first or 18th place, we simply want to be the more active team,” said the 34-year-old. “Essen will claim that for themselves too, so it’s going to be another close game. We’ll try to stick to our game plan as always: keep possession, win the ball back quickly when we lose it, and impose our intensity on the opponent.”

Just how tight the competition is in this 3. Liga season is also evident from the FCI’s position in the standings. They’re six points behind third place, but only three points ahead of the first relegation spot. “You don’t have to be an expert to see that things can quickly go one way or the other in this league,” Wittmann said, emphasizing that she doesn’t feel any particular pressure.

“We’re not afraid of losing, but we’re aware of how tight the standings are. Even if you’re down there, you can quickly climb back out. That was the case for us, too, when we racked up three wins in a row,” she added.

The Upper Bavarians will have to do without starting goalkeeper Markus Ponath against RWE, as he is still in rehabilitation training following his metacarpal fracture. It is still unclear whether Mattis Hoppe, who is back training fully with the team, will return to the roster. Otherwise, however, the FCI coach has a full roster to draw from.