Uwe Rösler, coach of VfL Bochum, is warning against Holstein Kiel, even though the latter haven’t been able to get a foothold in the league recently in terms of results.

VfL Bochum faces Holstein Kiel in the 2. Bundesliga on Sunday (1:30 p.m.). Kiel were relegated from the Bundesliga a year ago along with VfL.

And after eight straight games without a win (six losses), Kiel even face the threat of double relegation. The team, coached by Tim Walter, has now slipped to second-to-last place.

The outlook isn’t good ahead of the match at Bochum’s Ruhrstadion; Kiel is actually last in the away standings. Nevertheless, Bochum coach Uwe Rösler warns against the opponent: “What Kiel did against Nuremberg in the first half was impressive—despite the loss. They’re the fastest team in the league.”

But they likely have little confidence right now, and VfL must take advantage of that. It’s not yet clear which players Rösler will have available against Kiel.

Mats Pannewig is back after serving his yellow card suspension, but there are other question marks. Gerrit Holtmann didn’t participate fully in training on Wednesday morning; he’s expected to return to full training in the afternoon.

Also missing were Kevin Vogt (ill), Romario Rösch, who underwent surgery for a hernia, Marcel Sobottka (recovery from a muscle tear), and Francis Onyeka (thigh issues).
He’s now feeling the effects of the games Francis played. We need to manage him well in terms of workload management

Uwe Rösler
Looking at the defense, Rösler decided early on that Philipp Strompf would play against Kiel, leaving an open spot beside him. That spot could be filled again by Noah Loosli, who was substituted at halftime in Berlin.

Rösler: “I told Noah that this could happen. He’s been delivering good to very good performances for weeks. He shouldn’t worry about it. This can happen. He should just keep going and train hard. He’s certainly not out of the picture—there’s no reason for that. We’ve only conceded 18 goals in 18 games. We shouldn’t forget that.” And Loosli was on the field in many of those matches.

Speaking about Onyeka, the coach explained that they are now realizing just how much the young talent has played so far. “Francis is now feeling the effects of the matches he’s played. We need to manage him well in terms of workload.” cb / gp