On the eighth match day of the second division, Preußen Münster will be guests at Hertha BSC’s Olympic Stadium. The Eagles still have a score to settle with the Berliners.
SC Preußen Münster will face Hertha BSC in the 2nd Bundesliga on Saturday (October 4, 1 p.m.). The two clubs last met in the DFB Cup in August. At that time, the Eagles were defeated on home turf in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of goalless play.
However, the unfortunate elimination from the cup is no longer an issue. “We were very disappointed at the time, but that game is now behind us. We now want to take the next step in the league and are not putting this game in the context of the cup, but are looking at it on its own merits,” SCP coach Alexander Ende told the club’s media ahead of the reunion with the Old Lady.
Since the cup game, a lot has changed for Hertha, who are currently 13th in the table. “That’s why the cup game won’t be the blueprint for us, but rather what they have shown recently,” explained Ende. The ambitious capital club has recently picked up speed after falling far short of its own expectations in the first few matchdays. Hertha won 3-0 at 1. FC Nürnberg last weekend. Stefan Leitl’s team also managed a 3-0 away win at top team Hannover 96 two weeks earlier. The Münster coach is really looking forward to Saturday. “I’m looking forward to Saturday, the stadium. The guys who were there last year associate positive moments with the place. Of course, it helps that you’ve been there before and had happiness hormones in your body. We want that again on Saturday,” said Ende. Last season, they managed a 2-1 victory at the same venue in frosty temperatures in December, under floodlights and in front of over 6,000 traveling Preußen fans.
The team now wants to build on the success of the last match day, when Preußen won 3-1 at home against Eintracht Braunschweig, at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. “Every victory feels good, of course – and home victories especially, because they give the fans something to cheer about. A good result always helps the atmosphere and gives you confirmation. But we weren’t in a bad run before that. We played poorly in Kaiserslautern and lost unluckily before that. Nevertheless, you can tell that the mood is different when you have three points behind you,” explained the former head coach of SC Verl. Joshua Mees (torn tendon in his thigh) and Antonio Tikvic (torn cruciate ligament) are still unavailable for Münster. However, striker Lars Lokotsch, who had to leave the game against Braunschweig due to injury, is fully fit. Marcel Benger is also making progress. The 27-year-old is not yet an option for the Hertha game, but he is back in team training.