Up until now, one of Rot-Weiss Essen’s major advantages has been that few key players have been sidelined. Now, the team is worried about two players ahead of Sunday’s match in Cologne.

Rot-Weiss Essen will wrap up Matchday 30 at Viktoria Cologne on Sunday (March 22, 7:30 p.m.). By then, they’ll know exactly how their competitors in the 3rd Division have fared.

At Sportpark Höhenberg, coach Uwe Koschinat’s team aims to secure its fourth league win in a row to further improve its strong position in the promotion race. There have been few personnel issues recently; only Klaus Gjasula was absent for the home win against Erzgebirge Aue.

On Wednesday, however, there was first some bad news, then a moment of panic.

First: RWE is worried about its top scorer, Marek Janssen. According to the WAZ, the striker, who has already scored an impressive 13 goals this season, must sit out due to Achilles tendon issues. He wasn’t on the training field on Wednesday. It remains unclear when the summer signing will be back on the field.

If Janssen is out for the game in Cologne, Jaka Cuber Potocnik could return to the starting lineup for the first time since his muscle injury. He most recently came off the bench, but now he could start in Cologne. Unless, of course, Koschinat deviates from his tactic of starting with a true center forward—this option has also been chosen frequently.
Number two: At the end of Wednesday morning’s session, there was also a scare involving right-back Jannik Hofmann. After a tackle with Nils Kaiser, Hofmann remained on the ground with a pained expression on his face. It is not yet clear whether Hofmann is injured or how serious the injury is. At least he was able to walk back to the locker room without assistance.

Should Hofmann also have to sit out the game in Cologne, Michael Kostka would be ready to step in as a replacement.

In addition to Hofmann and Janssen, Jannik Mause is currently sidelined as well. An elbow injury is forcing the player on loan from 1. FC Kaiserslautern to sit out the next match. Both sides will be relieved when the partnership ends this summer. After all, the relationship between RWE and Mause was never a happy one.

On a positive note these days: Gjasula has recovered from his illness and is back in training. Nothing stands in the way of his playing in Cologne.