SVWW narrow defeat to Champions in season finale
Pros |
History: Did you know Jahn Regensburg have a special place in the history of German football? The first-ever officially recognised ''Goal of the Month'' was scored by Jahn Regensburg's Gerhard ''Gerd'' Faltenmeier in a match against VfR Mannheim. Faltenmeier curled a delightful free-kick into the top corner and in doing so wrote himself and his club into the history books. The club from the Upper Palatinate region of Germany have been an established 2. Bundesliga side since their promotion to the division in 2017, secured through a play-off win over fellow Bavarians TSV 1860 Munich. Their first season back in the second tier since 2012/13 got off to a somewhat rocky start - Jahn lost three of their first four matches - but the Red & Whites certainly managed to turn it round, ultimately finishing the season with an impressive fifth-place finish. Regensburg then managed to avoid the dreaded second season curse in 2018/19, ending the campaign in eighth place.
Stadium: The home of SVWW's next opponents is, for the time being anyway, known as the Arena Regensburg. On 7 January of this year, the sign that read Continental Arena was taken down from the stadium. At the end of 2019, the automotive manufacturing company decided to cancel its sponsorship deal with the stadium. A new sponsor is currently being sought. Jahn Regensburg's ground, which can hold up to 15,210 fans, is home to more than just the football club: the Upper Palatine regional office of the Bavarian Football Association as well as the FIFA Medical Centre Regensburg are both based in the stadium's office space.
Coach: Mersad Selimbegovic took over at Regensburg in the summer. Selimbegovic is a long-established figure at the club: he served as an assistant coach under Achim Beierlorzer before the latter's departure for 1. FC Cologne (he now coaches Mainz 05) and wore the Red & White jersey during his playing career, making a total of 99 appearances for the club before his retirement in 2012. The Bosnian then worked as a youth coach before working his way up through the ranks to arrive where he is today. At 37 years of age, he is currently the youngest head coach in the 2. Bundesliga.
Head-to-head: Both clubs know each other well from their shared time in the third-tier and the Regionalliga. Of the 23 encounters between the two sides, Regensburg have come out on top 12 times, SVWW have won seven and the spoils have been shared on four occasions. The first-ever meeting of the two clubs in the second-tier came on Matchday 5 of this season at the BRITA-Arena, with SVWW enduring a comprehensive 5-0 defeat.