The SG Wattenscheid 09 is facing the last game of the year in the Oberliga Westfalen. On Sunday (December 17, 2:30 p.m.), Victoria Clarholz will be coming.

Engin Yavuzaslan is glad that the winter break is just around the corner. He took over as SG Wattenscheid 09’s head coach at the end of September 2023. In ten games, Yavuzaslan has only managed to secure two wins.

It’s no wonder that he wants to “carve the boat in his own way” during the winter break, as he likes to say. “We’re not making a secret of the fact that we’re going to make some personnel changes. We don’t yet know how many players there will be in the end,” he says.

The 42-year-old did reveal to Forecasting that a new goalkeeper will be joining the Lohrheide outfit, as two goalkeepers, Lars Holm and Ahmed Kulalic, will be leaving the SG.

According to RS information, Niklas Lübcke is a hot candidate for a move to Wattenscheid. The number one of TuS Bövinghausen will leave Dortmund on January 1, 2024 without a transfer fee. “I know Niklas and he is an interesting goalkeeper. Bövinghausen has many interesting players,” Yavuzaslan does not want to be looked at the cards.

There’s always pressure at Wattenscheid. The fans expect, and rightly so, that the team will march ahead in the home games. This game won’t decide the season, but it is very important. The players have to be able to handle the pressure and rise to the occasion. This is Wattenscheid. If you can’t handle it, you don’t belong here.

Engin Yavuzaslan

It is also clear that there will be more departures than just two. Yavuzaslan: “We will reduce the squad further. The guys who are affected will find out after the last game. This week, the full focus is only on the Clarholz game. This is a damn important game,” emphasizes Yavuzaslan.

Victoria are four points ahead of the 09ers with one game in hand. The pressure is on the SG. A win is almost a must. Yavuzaslan sees it similarly. “With Wattenscheid, you’re always under pressure. The fans expect, and rightly so, that the team will march ahead in the home games. This game won’t decide the season, but it is very important. The players have to be able to handle the pressure and rise to the occasion. This is Wattenscheid. Anyone who can’t handle it has no place here,” Yavuzaslan makes his position clear at the end of the year.