SVWW narrow defeat to Champions in season finale
Pros |
The city: Karlsruhe, famous for its distinctive street layout, is the seat of both the Federal Constitutional Court as well as the Federal Court of Justice. The city has been named as Germany's best city for cycling and regularly ranks highly in quality of life surveys. The first German city to be granted UNESCO City of Media Arts status, Karlsruhe is an internationally renowned cultural centre and is home to the Schlosslichtspielele and the ZKM (Center for Art and Media).
The stadium: Or rather what's left of it. The Wildpark Stadium has basically been a building site for the past year. The stadium grounds recently said goodbye to the ''Naked Man'', a concrete statue located at the northern entrance which is considered something of a local landmark. The statue is currently undergoing restoration work and is set to make his return upon completion of the stadium rebuild. Talking of the new Wildpark Stadium - ''preparatory measures'' have been in place for the past year or so. Both of the stands behind the goal have disappeared and been replaced by temporary structures. The legendary ''Gegengerade'' stand has also been consigned to the history books. Just a few days ago, the construction firm responsible for the rebuild commenced work on the new stadium. The entire project has proved to be a bone of contention between the local council, responsible for the rebuild, and the club.
History: The club has enjoyed considerable success over the years and recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. Guest of honour at the ceremony was Oliver Kahn, who started his career at KSC. The club's most successful era was back in the 1950s: this decade witnessed back-to-back DFB Cup triumphs in 1955 and 1956 as well as a second-place finish in the German Championship. The heroes from this time include Walter Baureis, Rudi Fischer, Ossi Traub, Heinz Ruppenstein and the recently deceased Kurt Sommerlatt. KSC also have a storied past when it comes to athletics. Heinz ''White Lightning'' Fütterer, one of the most famous names in German track & field history, wore the blue and white of Karlsruhe.
The coach: Alois Schwartz has been in charge at KSC since August 2017. His time at the helm has brought the club considerable success: in his first season at the helm, he moulded the team into a force to be reckoned with in the third tier, leading them all the way to the promotion play-off final, where they fell just short. Ascension to the 2. Bundesliga followed the year afterwards. His contract at the Wildpark Stadium is set to run until 2021.
Personnel: KSC were recently hit with the long-term loss of midfielder Kyong-Rok Choi, who suffered a tear to his anterior cruciate ligament. Defensive talisman Daniel Gordon has been struggling with hip problems in recent weeks. The looming contract expirations of star players such as Uphoff and Wanitzek have also posed a problem.
Scenario: KSC have made a solid start to life in the second tier: they are currently 13th, four points from the relegation and six above SVWW. However, their most recent outing ended in humiliation as they were routed 5-1 at home by Greuther Fürth.