This coming Sunday, the first derby in six years will take place between SC Westfalia Herne and DSC Wanne-Eickel. The coaches of both clubs are looking forward to the duel.

Next Sunday (04 September, 15:30), the Westfalenliga 2 will see the city derby between SC Westfalia Herne and DSC Wanne-Eickel. It is the first meeting between the two clubs since Westfalia Herne were promoted to the Oberliga Westfalen in the 2016/17 season.

In their promotion season six years ago, Westfalia won the duels with 2:1 and 3:1. This year, however, the situation is somewhat different: Herne underwent a major upheaval after their relegation from the Oberliga and are currently eleventh in the table with one win and two defeats. For DSC Wanne-Eickel, on the other hand, the start could hardly have been better. After two wins in a row and a draw on the last matchday, they are level on points with league leader Türkspor Dortmund in second place.

Derby atmosphere in Herne: Both coaches are looking forward to a big game

Westfalia coach Patrick Knieps is looking forward to the upcoming derby: “This is a great event for the city of Herne. We expect a lot of spectators, all of whom we want to inspire.” After the big upheaval in the summer with 24 new players, things are not yet running smoothly for the Herne side. “The defensive structure isn’t right yet, but it can’t be with all the new players. However, I see good progress in the game with the ball and it is a team with a flawless character that simply needs to be given more time,” the coach explains the current state of development of the newly formed team.

For the derby next Sunday, he expects a “competitive game”. “For me, Wanne-Eickel is a promotion aspirant and clear favourite. They will play in a very dominant manner and will be at full strength in the duels. We want to make the spaces tight and come through the transition moments. But we also want to put our stamp on the game when we have possession,” Knieps said.

His counterpart, DSC coach Sebastian Westerhoff, is also looking forward to the city duel and shares Knieps’ view that it is one of the most relevant games for Herne and the surrounding area: “There is no bigger derby in the area. At least not in this league.”

He hopes for a “real derby” that is “intense and exciting and fun for everyone involved”. He adds: “Our idea of how we want to play football suits the derby quite well, so we don’t have to change anything,” Westerhoff does not formulate a specific concept for the game next Sunday. The Wanne-Eickel coach is reluctant to accept the role of the favourites: “We might be favourites in the table, but we’ve only played three games and there are no real favourites in a derby.