Before the home game against SV Sandhausen, 1. FC Kaiserslautern is fighting an enormous wave of colds. More than ten players are in danger of dropping out. The home series should still be expanded against the North Badeners, who are threatened with relegation.
Dirk Schuster sat a bit sober on the podium during the obligatory press conference. The FCK trainer described the events of the training week, which posed major personnel problems for the Red Devils: “A brutally difficult preparation. A wave of infections broke out over us that I have never experienced as a trainer.”
A number of players are affected, and there are new water level reports every hour. This has consequences for the game on Friday evening against SV Sandhausen, who are threatened with relegation: “As things stand now, we will and must play with a team that has never played together before. But that shouldn’t prevent us from mastering this challenge,” Schuster looked ahead again.
Shoemaker has to play poker
The 55-year-old did not name the possible failures. “I ask for your understanding. I don’t want to make it so easy for the opposing team to see what options we have in terms of formation and system. I prefer to keep quiet about this.” However, he added that there are a double-digit number of players currently missing from training.
Schuster: “Sandhausen doesn’t pay with bratwurst vouchers”
With the penultimate Sandhausen FCK expects an unpleasant opponent. “They are a seasoned second division team and one of the most underestimated teams in the league. Sandhausen also has good players. They don’t pay for them with bratwurst vouchers,” Schuster explained his analysis. “It’s a little surprising to me that they’re so far down. It’s going to be a battle of attrition where little things will make all the difference.”
The Palatinate have already sold almost 38,000 tickets for the game. The FCK coach is once again hoping for an atmospheric backdrop at home in the Fritz Walter Stadium and, due to the current difficult situation, is counting on the unconditional support of his own fans. “We have to give our all on the pitch, but the spectators have to give our all too. We have to pull together to reach our goal of breaking the 40-point mark.”