Rot-Weiss Essen travels to Hansa Rostock for a basement battle. Players who have been on the sidelines recently will get their chance in defense.
It was possibly the turning point of the game: midway through the first half, Rot-Weiss Essen’s Julian Eitschberger fouled Verler’s Berkan Taz. Referee Nico Fuchs initially brandished a yellow card, but then changed his decision to red. RWE lost the game 1-3 – and Eitschberger will also miss the basement battle against Hansa Rostock on Saturday, October 26, at 2 p.m.
This leaves a real gap in the defensive wide positions. As RWE coach Christoph Dabrowski announced at the post-match press conference, Lucas Brumme will not be fit, as was already the case against Verl. To make matters worse, center back Tobias Kraulich, who was also a regular starter, will also be out.
“He took a ball on the ankle in the final stages and twisted it. But I don’t think it’s too serious and he should be fit again next week. He’s got a strain and the pain is unfortunately so bad at the moment that he’ll have to sit out. Otherwise, everyone came through the game against Verl unscathed and is ready to play,” said Dabrowski. Only long-term absentees Ekin Celebi and Moussa Doumbouya remain sidelined.
The bottleneck in defense opens up opportunities for players who have been behind recently, Dabrowski said. It would be obvious, for example, for Mustafa Kourouma to get another chance in central defense and replace Kraulich. “Basically, a midweek game always offers the option of bringing one or two fresh players into the team.”
It is therefore quite possible that Dabrowski could make some changes in defense, even beyond the inevitable rotation. In Rostock, RWE will be looking to set the course for the coming weeks.
While Essen are just above the relegation zone with twelve points, Hansa are in 18th place with ten points. If RWE win, Christoph Dabrowski’s team will be five points ahead of Rostock. If they lose, however, the Hanseatic club would overtake Essen. Around 2,000 RWE fans will be there.