Two RWE players picked up their fifth yellow cards against SSV Ulm. But TSV 1860 Munich will also be without a key player ahead of the match against RWE.
On Saturday (January 17, 2 p.m.), Rot-Weiss Essen will travel to TSV 1860 Munich for the opening match of the second half of the 3. Liga season. It’s already clear that two players have extended their winter break by a week after picking up their fifth yellow card against SSV Ulm 1846 (3-2).
Veteran midfielder Klaus Gjasula (in the 85th minute) and right back Jannik Hofmann (in the 81st minute) each picked up their fifth yellow card and will not be traveling to the big match at the “Lions’” stadium, which is already sold out.
Speaking to the WAZ, Gjasula expressed his frustration. “It was actually an unnecessary yellow card. I had firmly resolved not to get one. It was really a minor incident. I just needed to stay out of it and was severely punished. I was absolutely livid.”
So now Essen must travel to Munich without Hofmann and Gjasula; both were on the field on the first matchday against TSV, a game that ended 1-1. That was followed by a first half of the season in which RWE consistently stayed near the top. The Munich team got off to a disastrous start but has improved recently.
Four points separate RWE and TSV, who must beat Essen—or at least not lose. A seven-point deficit would be a major burden.
Four Essen players were on four yellow cards heading into the match against SSV Ulm. Kaito Mizuta and Tobias Kraulich avoided suspension, and following his booking against Ulm, José Enrique Ríos Alonso is now also one card away from suspension.
However, TSV 1860 Munich is also currently forced to make frequent lineup changes due to suspensions. In the 0-2 home loss to SC Verl, forward Kevin Volland and center back Siemen Voet were suspended. Both are eligible to play against RWE. However, coach Markus Kauczinski’s team will have to do without their captain. Midfielder Thore Jacobsen received a yellow-red card against Verl and will therefore miss the match against RWE.