Uwe Rösler, coach of VfL Bochum, has revealed some of his plans for the match against Kiel. He issued a strong warning about the opponent, which is currently second-to-last in the standings.

VfL Bochum enters Matchday 27 of the 2nd Bundesliga in ninth place. But appearances can be deceiving ahead of the home game against second-to-last Holstein Kiel.

If VfL loses its home game against Kiel on Sunday (1:30 p.m.), its lead over the teams below would once again become very slim. Kiel could close the gap to just five points behind VfL, so Coach Uwe Rösler’s team must deliver.

In terms of personnel, the coach has nearly his full squad at his disposal. Romario Rösch is definitely out; Kevin Vogt (ill) was able to train lightly on Friday; and Francis Onyeka also trained after experiencing muscle problems in his thigh earlier in the week. He might be ready by Sunday, and Gerrit Holtmann will definitely be in the lineup.

Looking ahead to the opponent, Rösler makes it clear that he doesn’t expect to face a team that’s down and out. “I didn’t see a struggling team when Kiel played Nuremberg. They should never have lost that game. That’s just how the 2. Bundesliga is. They’re well-established in their structure and haven’t earned enough points for their performances in recent games. They’re one of the fastest teams with the best sprinters. We’ll have to put in our best performance of the second half of the season to win this game.”

The former pro already knows how he’ll approach this: “Under their new coach, Kiel isn’t weak in one-on-one battles. They’re very determined, and you don’t see them playing out of fear of relegation. We can’t rely solely on winning those battles. We have to communicate a lot. We have to capitalize on opportunities in transition. We need to be efficient there.”

Rösler hasn’t quite settled on his starting lineup for this match yet. In defense, he has to decide between Erhan Masovic and Noah Loosli to fill an open spot. Mats Pannewig will start again after serving his yellow-card suspension, as he said: “Mats Pannewig is coming back into the lineup. Matus Bero and Cajetan Lenz have different skills than Mats, and we always have to try to find the best mix of playmaking, physicality, and tactics.”