SVWW narrow defeat to Champions in season finale
Pros |
The last match of 2019 is also the first of the second round of fixtures in the 2. Bundesliga for SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Friday evening's match away to Karlsruher SC in the Wildpark Stadium is set to kick off at 18.30 CET.
Personnel matters: Stefan Aigner made his return to team training on Thursday after his recent struggles with a hip injury. Head Coach Rüdiger Rehm is ''almost certain that he'll be available for selection on Friday.'' The Red & Blacks will however be forced to cope with the absence of top goalscorer Manuel Schäffler, who is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last weekend against St. Pauli. With the exception of Schäffler and the long-term absentees, Rehm has a full complement of players at his disposal.
Scenario: Since the 2-0 win away to 1. FC Nuremberg earlier in the month, the Red & Blacks have drawn one and lost one. Three points against Karlsruhe would thus be more than welcome. Rehm and his side were particularly disappointed with their showing against St. Pauli on Saturday. ''In the first half, we really didn't perform in the way we had set out to do.'' SVWW have had six days to process and learn lessons from the defeat in Hamburg. ''We've been working hard. The boys have been doing a good job, but we all know that we have to improve.''
Outlook: KSC are expecting a crowd of around 12,000 spectators in the Wildpark Stadium, with a contingent of 300 SVWW fans making the trip to Baden-Württemberg. ''We need to make the most of this opportunity we have on Friday night,'' said Rehm, going on to add: ''Every point is so so important for us. It's not just about the league table; we want to lift our spirits and go into the winter break on a high.''
The opposition: Coach Alois Schwartz' side endured a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Greuther Fürth last weekend. KSC will therefore be all the more determined to show a reaction in their home ground and leave the fans with something to smile about going into the winter break. SVWW will have to have their wits about them when defending set-pieces. ''They have a lot of really big players in the team. We have to make sure we don't give away any cheap free-kicks - and when the set-pieces come, we need to defend with everything we have,'' says Rehm.
Here's what Daniel-Kofi Kyereh has to say: ''We're looking forward to the match and we're well aware of how important it is for us. We're confident that we can pick up points and do an all-round better job than we did last week. The focus will be on keeping it tight and making the most of the chances that come our way.''
Man of the Match: As always, you have the opportunity to vote for your Man of the Match. Simply cast your vote in the Match Center on the SVWW website anytime between kick-off and midnight on the day of the game and win a shirt signed by the Man of the Match!