Shortly before the planned kick-off of the DFB Cup quarter-final in Saarbrücken’s Ludwigspark, the game is in the balance – or at least threatens to become a mud fight. As before the game against Bayern, prolonged rain caused problems.
with information from Frank Grundhever
How Even before the game against the huge favorites FC Bayern Munich, the pitch in Ludwigspark is causing concern this evening. Due to the constant rain, a lot of water has accumulated – the game threatens to turn into a mud fight, if it can take place at all.
We are currently working hard to ensure that the pitch is playable. Leaf blowers are also used for this purpose. As a club spokesman told the SR, the teams will now first be sent to warm up, then the referee will decide whether the game can take place.
Gladbach is a big favorite
Despite a bumpy season, Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach is the clear favorite in this clash. However, with 13th place in the table and 21 points in the current Bundesliga game so far, the Foals have so far performed slightly below their own expectations and standards. In the round of 16 of the cup they fought for a tough 1-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg after 119 minutes.
FCS keeper Schreiber: “Gladbach is of course the clear favorite”
Although the Gladbachers recently delivered respectable results against Bayern and league leaders Leverkusen, they are having a hard time against supposedly weaker challengers who tend to let the Foals have the ball.
Watch the game live
ZDF will broadcast the game between 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach live on television, kick-off is at 8:45 p.m. SR 3 will broadcast one from 8 p.m sport arena especially for the game on the radio. The SAARTEXT ticks from around 8.30 p.m on page 203.
“Gladbach is of better quality and is of course the clear favorite. But with a fight we can get ourselves into the game,” says FCS goalkeeper Tim Schreiber. Especially since mileage and intensity have often been the Achilles heel of the team from the Lower Rhine this season. On the other hand, there are two points that Blue-Black have been able to convince with so far.
Will the third first division team also be eliminated?
“I recently heard again and again: “Gladbach is now possible – I had to smile very, very much,” says FCS coach Rüdiger Ziehl and continues: “There’s no question: the victories against FC Bayern and Eintracht Frankfurt have given us self-confidence awarded. Things may not be going so well for Gladbach in the Bundesliga, but we still know it will be a good game.”
Problems in the league are also all too well known to the head coach of the FCS. Only two points from the last three games were a disappointing result. 12th place in the table is the result of a lack of consistency and weak use of opportunities this season.
In the cup, the FCS shows a different face
“In the game against Frankfurt you could feel that we had a different demeanor with the self-confidence from Bayern’s victory. That’s what I hope now, that we can draw strength from that. That we say ‘Hey, we’ve already done that! ‘ We know how difficult the task is and want to do everything we can to be able to celebrate again,” said Ziehl.
Memories of 2020
As if the entry of a third division team into the DFB Cup semi-finals wasn’t already historic – if they won, it would mean the second sensation in four years: in 2020, when they were still a regional league team, the Saarbrücken team already fought their way past Regensburg, 1. FC Cologne, the KSC and past Düsseldorf.
It was only in the semi-finals that the Saarland team had to admit defeat to an overpowering team from Leverkusen.
Bad Space conditions
An important factor this evening could also be the problematic pitch conditions in the Ludwigsparkstadion be. Rain and cold have taken their toll on the course in recent months.
“We’ll see how Gladbach adapts to it. As a Bundesliga club, it’s certainly difficult to play on a pitch like this. We’re used to it,” says FCS keeper Schreiber.
Sold out house and live game on TV
Difficult pitch conditions or not – it certainly won’t fail with Ludwigspark and the frenetic fans. The approximately 16,000 tickets for the game were sold out in record time. Anyone who could get hold of some You should make your way to the stadium early; the police will cordon off a large area around Ludwigpark from 5 p.m.
More than 2,000 FCS fans will also meet in Saarbrücken for a joint march to the stadium from 5 p.m. The starting point is Landwehrplatz, from there it goes through the city center and the tunnel at the main train station to the stadium from 5:30 p.m.
High ratings can also be expected on television. In the evening, all eyes will be on the last third division team remaining in the competition – when the question will be answered as to whether the FCS can continue to write its cup fairytale. The game, which will be broadcast live on ZDF, kicks off at 8:45 p.m.
SR 3 will broadcast a sports arena specifically for the game on the radio from 8 p.m.
Should the FCS actually make it to the semi-finals, they can look forward to a bonus of a whopping 3,449,600 euros.
The “current report” on SR television also reported on this topic on February 6th, 2024.
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