TSV Havelse will be playing away at Rot-Weiss Essen on Saturday (January 24, 2 p.m.). Forecasting spoke to TSV’s sporting director and player Florian Riedel beforehand.
Florian Riedel is the driving force behind TSV Havelse. Under the 35-year-old, the Lower Saxony club has been promoted and relegated twice in the last four years. In Havelse, everything seems to stand and fall with Riedel.
He is not only sporting director, but also managing director of the club and a TSV professional all in one. “Believe me: there’s a lot to do in the office – I don’t know what boredom is,” he reveals. “I could put it this way: Sports Director Riedel has done such a good job that he is no longer needed as a player. I already wanted to quit in the summer. But after the promotion to the 3rd league, the appeal was too great. Now I’m on my farewell tour. In the summer of 2026, I will definitely be done as a player,“ emphasizes the right-back. On Saturday, Riedel will make his first stop on his farewell tour at Hafenstraße in Essen. ”Games against Rot-Weiss Essen at Hafenstraße are definitely among the highlights in the 3rd league. We are really looking forward to it,” he says.
I played with Ahmet Arslan and often went on vacation with him. He’s a great guy and an outstanding soccer player! The fact that he doesn’t get much playing time says a lot about the quality of the RWE squad. They also have an experienced coach in Uwe Koschinat, who can moderate everything. The roles are clearly defined. Nevertheless, we want to try to pull off a surprise at Hafenstraße.
Florian Riedel
Havelse has earned twelve points in its last seven games and is unbeaten in four. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw against RWE, and now the promoted team is coming to Essen-Bergeborbeck with its chest puffed out.
“It’s not just the recent 4-0 win against Hoffenheim II that has given us confidence. We’ve actually been scoring consistently since matchday 13. What we said before the season is proving to be true: we have to develop in this 3rd division. We’ve managed that. Let’s see if we can also manage to make up the deficit. Because we’ve obviously taken on the burden of a poor start to the season,” explains Riedel, whose TSV Havelse side are currently six points adrift of safety.
The 3rd division is like the Champions League for us!
Florian Riedel
TSV Havelse has the smallest budget in the 3rd league and was unable to attend a winter training camp for financial reasons. “We trained in soccer halls. We do everything sensibly and know what we can and want to do and what is not possible,” explains Riedel, adding: “The 3rd league is the Champions League for us!”
Rot-Weiss Essen is different: for RWE, the 3rd league is really just a stepping stone to the 2nd Bundesliga. Havelse and Essen cannot be compared. TSV is the Gaulish village of the league, RWE one of the big tankers.
But it could be a close game on the pitch on Saturday.
Riedel: “Anyone who has followed our games can see that we have scored 29 goals. We have developed and play boldly and cheekily – we can’t do it any other way. We will also look for our chance in Essen.”
And how does he rate Rot-Weiss Essen? Riedel’s answer: “I played with Ahmet Arslan and often went on vacation with him. He’s a great guy and an outstanding soccer player! The fact that he doesn’t get much playing time says a lot about the quality of the RWE squad. They also have an experienced coach in Uwe Koschinat, who can moderate everything. The roles are clearly defined. Nevertheless, we want to try to pull off a surprise at Hafenstraße.”
