SV Burgaltendorf welcomes Rot-Weiss Essen in the 1st round of the Niederrheinpokal on Tuesday evening (7pm, RevierSport live ticker). The underdog has zero hopes.
1:6 against Blau-Gelb Überruhr, 2:7 against SC Werden-Heidhausen: SV Burgaltendorf made a mess of the start of the season. That is one of the reasons why those responsible are not pinning their hopes on the game of the year against Rot-Weiss Essen.
The third division team will be playing in the first round of the Lower Rhine Cup on Tuesday evening (7 p.m., RevierSport live ticker) at the Stadion an der Windmühle, which will be completely sold out with 800 fans. “Everything is set and prepared. People can come. But only those who have bought a ticket in advance. The box offices will remain closed,” emphasises Burgaltendorf’s sports director Jörg Oswald.
1:9 we lost at that time. Before that, we knocked out three upper league teams and played in the Landesliga. Now we’re a district league team and RWE have finally been promoted to the 3rd division, so if we stay below this 1:9 defeat, then I’d already be satisfied.
Jörg Oswald
And in sporting terms: Can the spectators hope for a hot fight between David and Goliath? “No! We don’t need to kid ourselves about that. After this disastrous start to the season, we’re not exactly brimming with self-confidence. I’ll put it this way: I hope it won’t be too bitter for us.”
SV Burgaltendorf got as far as the Niederrheinpokal quarter-finals on 5 December 2019. Here it was off to Hafenstraße to Rot-Weiss Essen. “1:9 we lost then. Before that, we knocked out three upper league teams and played in the Landesliga. Now we’re a district league team, RWE have finally been promoted to the 3rd division, so: if we stay under this 1:9 defeat, then I’d already be satisfied.”
There are a few reasons why things are currently going so badly for the Essen club from the south of the city. Oswald explains: “We have a new coach in Sascha Hense, then there’s the squad turnover and the unsatisfactory preparation for the season. We have been missing players again and again. That’s why we’re training four times a week instead of three for the next four weeks. We have a lot of catching up to do. The RWE game only plays a subordinate role in this. It’s a kind of bonus game. We want to enjoy it, but also sell ourselves as a club as well as possible. “
