In the first quarter-final of the Niederrheinpokal, SV Sonsbeck will face Germania Ratingen in the Oberliga duel. The promoted team can reach the semi-finals against RWO if they win.
Oberliga duel between SV Sonsbeck and Germania Ratingen: The first quarter-final of the Niederrheinpokal is already scheduled for Saturday (19 November, 2 pm). TSV Meerbusch will host 1. FC Bocholt on 23 November, while the games Wuppertaler SV – Rot-Weiss Essen and ASV Mettmann – Rot-Weiß Oberhausen will not take place until the new year.
SV Sonsbeck is looking forward to the home game. All in all, Sonsbeck are playing a good season after their promotion. “We are very satisfied with our performance so far,” analyses coach Heinrich Losing. Seven wins from the first 17 games mean tenth place at the moment and a five-point lead over the relegation places. “For us, it’s all about staying in the relegation zone and if the boys are above the line after 40 games, then every single player has done a great job and can be proud of themselves,” Losing remains modest.
Against their league rivals from Ratingen, SVS could enter the semi-finals of the Niederrheinpokal and hope for a big name there. “The next possible opponent would be RWO. Of course, that would be a huge thing for our club and us as a team to compete with such a traditional club in a competitive match,” says Losing. “But we’re not thinking that far ahead at the moment. First we have to do our homework, because we have a tough task ahead of us. And RWO hasn’t won in Mettmann yet either.”
But before that, the promoted team has to do better than in the league. In mid-October, the Losing team lost to Ratingen 1:4. “Ratingen is extremely strong and also well-rehearsed. They have players in many positions who have played higher and bring extreme quality,” the head coach knows about the strength of the opponent.
Losing also specifies what his team has to do better than in October: “We have to defend Ratingen more consistently and also be more combative in one-on-one situations. In addition, we should make sure that we don’t get two standards again. And we have to be more determined up front and make better use of our chances and transition situations. Because in the championship we could have scored more than one goal.”
After the cup match, four more games await in the Oberliga Niederrhein until the end of the year. “We still have very difficult games. We want to get as many points as possible. That’s clear,” the head coach explains Sonsbeck’s goals until the winter break. “But we stay true to our line and look from game to game. Any calculations beforehand simply won’t help. We all know that from the past. “