Three days before the away game against TSV Havelse, RWE coach Uwe Koschinat invited his team to a public training session. Here’s what stood out.

The more than 100 fans who were at Rot-Weiss Essen’s public training session on Wednesday, August 6, were likely relieved. Goalkeeper Jakob Golz was back with his teammates, visible to everyone.

Golz had missed last Friday’s third division opener against TSV 1860 Munich (1-1). An insect bite on his knee, which the goalkeeper had suffered weeks earlier in training camp, made it medically impossible for him to play against the Lions.

Golz was therefore left with no choice but to watch from the sidelines. Felix Wienand stepped into the RWE goal and did a very good job. After 18 minutes, Wienand made a spectacular save from Jesper Verlaat. He was also on hand in the 26th minute when Tunay Deniz had a clear shot from around 16 meters out.

On Tuesday, Golz was back in goal training, the club announced. It remains to be seen how Golz’s knee will cope with the strain. One day later, the verdict is clear: very well, apparently. Golz took part in all training sessions as normal.

There was a moment of shock when Wienand was hit in the face by a ball towards the end and remained on the ground. But the number two in the RWE goal quickly recovered and continued.

However, the two right-backs Michael Kostka and Jannik Hofmann had to end training early. Kostka had just returned to team training when he had to leave the pitch again. After 45 minutes, he appeared to be suffering from a left thigh injury. Kostka initially continued, but left the pitch five minutes later. Hofmann had to stop training with muscle problems and is currently undergoing examination. This is a bitter blow for coach Uwe Koschinat and RWE: if both players are unable to recover in time for the away game against TSV Havelse on Saturday, August 9, at 2 p.m., the team faces another setback.

Read more about the background and Uwe Koschinat’s options in the WAZ newspaper.

Luca Bazzoli, on the other hand, appeared to be fully fit. The new signing from Münster took part in all training sessions and should be available for selection in Havelse. Jaka Cuber Potocnik, however, continued with a tailored individual training program.