Wuppertaler SV host Schalke 04’s U23 on Friday, with coach Hüzeyfe Dogan and captain Kevin Pytlik looking ahead to the match.
Wuppertaler SV started the new Regionalliga season with two nerve-racking victories. Should the WSV also win the game at FC Schalke 04’s U23 on Friday evening (7.30 pm, RS live ticker), it would be a first for coach Hüzeyfe Dogan: In his two previous encounters with the royal blues, his team had nothing to gain.
However, the 42-year-old does not want to attach any importance to this statistic. “That belongs to the past,” he said at the pre-match press conference. “We have a different team now, Schalke have a different team. We are well prepared, have a great team spirit and a squad that can beat Schalke.”
One newcomer in particular is in focus for the opponent: Pierre-Michel Lasogga. The former Bundesliga striker was signed as a leader for the young team. He scored his first goal of the season last matchday in a 2-2 draw against 1. FC Düren.
“He wants to carry the boys along and lead them. You saw his power in the penalty area last week. You look for him up front with his heading power,” Lasogga says of the former Hamburg and Hertha player. Ergo: “He must not be allowed to finish in the box. “
And how does captain and centre-back Kevin Pytlik look forward to the upcoming duels with the attacker? “I like to compete with players who have played higher,” he explained. “But it doesn’t change our preparation for the opponent.”
Twice recently, WSV turned games around in injury time. First in a 2-1 win at Alemannia Aachen, then in a 3-2 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach’s U23. If Pytlik has his way, “I hope that this time we will make things clearer earlier. But he also knows: “In the end, what counts is winning.
The Wuppertal team will have to do without Jef Thouangue and Kevin Hagemann. Philipp Hanke is also still missing. Tobias Peitz, who celebrated his comeback last week after being substituted, is once again an option for the starting eleven. According to Dogan, defender Durim Berisha is also “continuing to make progress” and could return to the squad.