One and a half weeks before the start of the season, Rot-Weiß Oberhausen is testing against Borussia Dortmund. We spoke to RWO sports director Patrick Bauder.

It’s getting serious, the new season in the Regionalliga West starts in one and a half weeks. Rot-Weiß Oberhausen will start a new attempt towards promotion with a visit to SC Wiedenbrück (Saturday, 29 July).

Before that, however, the highlight of the summer preparation is still to come. On Wednesday evening (6 p.m., RS live ticker), Borussia Dortmund will come to the Niederrhein stadium.

Before the test match, RS talks to RWO sporting director Patrick Bauder about …

… the test against Dortmund: “Of course, this is a special game where the preparations are a bit more elaborate and time-consuming. My compliments to the girls and boys from the office for the way they managed everything. A crowd of 7,000 or more would be a good thing for our club.

… the sporting value of the game: We have a lot of experienced players. Still, it’s a nice thing for them to play against a Champions League contender that almost became German champions last season. Even though Dortmund are the clear favourites, the game has a sporting significance. We will be shown where our weaknesses lie – and what we are already doing very well.

… Test player Michel Nieyemer (last RWE): Michel is still training with us and might also play against BVB. In principle, we can imagine signing him. We will sit down together in the next few days and see what the best solution is for everyone involved. By the start of the season, we will have clarity on this matter.

… further transfers: We are keeping our eyes and ears open. It’s always a dynamic process. The transfer window is still open for a long time. Maybe a player will come to us after the first few weeks of the season – with the desire to change because he is not getting the playing time he had hoped for. But there are no concrete signs at the moment.

… King transfer Moritz Stoppelkamp: Moritz makes a very good impression. You can tell that he really wants to do the job. We know about his abilities and his experience. He can decide a game. After his injury last season, he is already close to 100 per cent again.

… the Niederrheinpokal draw with Arminia Klosterhardt: Of course we are happy about the Oberhausen clash. For me personally, it’s also a nice thing because Marcel Landers, a good friend of mine, is coaching Klosterhardt.

… the start of the season: It’s difficult to make a serious assessment. After the summer break, you never know exactly where you stand. In any case, my feeling is good: the team has done a strong preparation and has fully participated. Our training camp at the Wedau Sports School was also very good. The boys have become closer and the team is intact.