Germania 04/19 Ratingen are about to play the biggest game in the club’s history: On Wednesday (April 10, 7.30 p.m., live ticker) they travel to Rot-Weiss Essen.

“I’d love for all our lads to play against a big club like Rot-Weiss Essen in the Lower Rhine Cup semi-final – preferably in front of over 10,000 fans in the stadium on Hafenstraße,” said Moses Lamidi, striker for Germania 04/19 Ratingen, ahead of the quarter-final between KFC Uerdingen and RWE.

The team from Essen won in the Grotenburg – and, yes, Ratingen will travel to Essen on Wednesday (April 10, 7:30 p.m., live ticker) for the Lower Rhine Cup semi-final. No 10,000 spectators are expected, but over 5,000.

“This is a huge highlight for the team and the entire club. We already had the chance to play Oberhausen in the semi-finals last year and lost 3:1. But a semi-final at the legendary Hafenstrasse is something completely different. We’re really looking forward to the game and want to enjoy the atmosphere – and of course annoy RWE,” the 36-year-old former professional told Forecasting a few hours before the game.

Lamidi had to undergo surgery on his meniscus in December 2023 and has been fit again for a few weeks. He once played in the Bundesliga for Borussia Mönchengladbach and was under contract as a professional with clubs such as Rot-Weiß Oberhausen and KFC Uerdingen. And yet: the game in Essen is another highlight for him too

Every player has received a parking ticket and will be arriving by private car. The guys are coming from all over. We’ll meet at 6pm at the stadium in Essen and then we’ll go to the dressing room. It’s a bit different for us than for a third division team (laughs).

Moses Lamidi

“Of course, I’ve already played in some big stadiums. But that was a long time ago. I’m also really looking forward to the spectacle,” he says.

And: He is definitely a bit of an “RWE terror”. Lamidi has played against Essen four times with his clubs, not winning a single game, but only losing one. Three times there was a draw and three Lamidi goals as well as an assist against RWE. “(laughs) I didn’t even know that. But that sounds promising. I can tell you that the coach is planning to play me at left-back. I’ll try to get into the box and polish up my record against RWE (laughs). Seriously, we just want to play a great game. Let’s see what we can do against this strong opponent.”

Interesting fact: The Ratingen team will not be traveling to Essen in a team bus. “Each player has been given a parking ticket and will travel by private car. The boys are coming from all over. We’ll meet at the Essen stadium at 6 p.m. and then we’ll go to the dressing room. It’s a bit different for us than for a third division team (laughs). I’ll do a few things in our beauty studio beforehand, then pick up the kids from nursery and then start my program. That means stretching a bit and focusing on the game. “