Third-division club Rot-Weiss Essen is looking to finally get another win at Viktoria Köln. Coach Christoph Dabrowski will not find it easy to name a first eleven.

Only a few minutes were missing for Rot-Weiss Essen to win the derby against MSV Duisburg last Sunday. But a late free-kick goal by guest captain Moritz Stoppelkamp prevented a big party at Hafenstraße – the game ended 1-1.

For the Red-Whites, the current training week is longer than usual. The promoted team is not back in action until Monday evening (13 February, 7 pm), when it plays host to Viktoria Köln. With a win at Höhenberg, RWE could draw level on points with the home side.

It will be exciting to see which team coach Christoph Dabrowski will trust. In the derby against MSV, the football coach had changed his team in four positions compared to the 3-0 defeat at leaders SV Elversberg. Clemens Fandrich, Oguzhan Kefkir, Torben Müsel and Ron Berlinski slipped into the starting line-up. In Cologne, too, it is quite conceivable that the quartet will again start from the beginning.

Especially in the centre of midfield, Dabrowski is spoilt for choice. For three central positions in the 4-2-3-1 system, the former Bundesliga professional has six players at his disposal – Clemens Fandrich, Niklas Tarnat, Björn Rother, Felix Götze, Torben Müsel and Thomas Eisfeld – who all have a claim to the starting eleven. Cedric Harenbrock and Kevin Holzweiler could also play at the ten position – a surplus of players.

Dabrowski is spoilt for choice in the centre

Tarnat, with his running strength and calmness in the build-up play, is the favourite under Dabrowski. However, the six-man lacks scoring power and robustness. The 32-year-old Fandrich played his best game in the RWE jersey in the derby against the Zebras. He was strong in two fights and sure of the ball. As a reward, he was the only Essen player to be voted into the “kicker” matchday eleven. Thanks to his strong performance, Fandrich should once again start alongside Tarnat at Viktoria Köln.

For the ten, the RWE coach would then have three similar types of players to choose from for one position: Götze, Müsel, who says he feels most at home as a hanging point, and Eisfeld. All three are technically strong and intelligent. It looks like two of the three players will have to sit on the bench for the time being – should Dabrowski not change his basic order. One thing is clear: Rot-Weiss Essen is spoilt for choice in midfield!