1. FC Magdeburg has been waiting for a home three points for eleven months. Thanks to an excellent away record, the club more than makes up for this. But now it should finally work against Braunschweig. In the first game after the attack on the Christmas market, the FCM will wear a special jersey.
The second division soccer home game of 1. FC Magdeburg against Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday (6:30 p.m./audio stream) is not only a neighborhood duel, but also a game of extraordinary series. While FCM hasn’t managed a single home win this season, Eintracht has been waiting for an away threesome since the start of the season.
3-0 against Schalke has patina
Baris Atik smiled as a feeling he thought he had almost forgotten arose within him. “Pure goosebumps,” the 1. FC Magdeburg offensive man still feels when he looks at him the furious 3-0 win against Schalke 04which was almost a year ago now. The former European Cup winner hasn’t won a home game in a footballing eternity – and is still playing for promotion to the Bundesliga.
Second FCM: What would actually happen if the home games…?
Looking at the table, one cannot guess that February 24, 2024, the day of the last victory party in the Magdeburg Arena, was eleven months ago. Coach Christian Titz’s team is hot on the heels of Hamburger SV in the tight battle for the top of the table, is tied for second place and can dream of its first season in the top flight, and many people are wondering: what would be possible if the FCM were now too would still win his home games?
Always disappointment at the FCM (right) in their own arena.
Absurd balance sheets: Magdeburg without a home win
It’s almost absurd. Magdeburg leads the away table of the second division teams as the undisputed leader with eight wins from ten games. Most recently, the Elbestadt team turned a 0-2 advantage into a 5-2 win at SV Elversberg. Curious: The second 5:2 in a row after the win in Düsseldorf. But if the home record were anything to go by, FCM would be at the bottom of the table and deep in the relegation battle. The Magdeburgers collected 25 of their total 31 points away from home and have not yet managed a win at home this season – unique in the top three leagues.
“There were various reasons”
“The away statistics are great, but we are not satisfied with the home record,” explained Atik on MDR on “Sport im Osten”: “That is neither the claim of us players nor that of the club.” Titz is also puzzled by the weakness at home: “We don’t have an answer to it ourselves,” said the 53-year-old. His team was often “clearly superior” in the games: “There were various reasons why we didn’t manage to win the game on our side.” One of his new hopes, the Swedish winter signing and attacker Alexander Ahl-Holmström, missed the game on Friday with adductor problems. Midfielder Silas Gnaka is fit again after an infection.
Silas Gnaka has recovered from an infection.
Special jersey after the attack
Of course he and his team wanted to fix the problem, emphasized Titz: “Because we know that it is also important to score points here at home.” The next opportunity comes against Eintracht. The game is also the first home game since the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market in December, which shocked the whole of Germany. The club has provided 250 tickets for those affected and emergency services and will wear a special jersey to “send a sign of solidarity and cohesion,” according to the club. The jerseys will be auctioned off and all of the proceeds will go to the city of Magdeburg’s donation account.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Atik and Co. want to finally defeat the home curse. In the last success against Schalke, the team played a “top game”, he said: “It’s always nice to celebrate and cheer like that in front of your own fans. We would like to experience that again.” On Thursday only remaining tickets for the neighborhood duel were available. And if not against Braunschweig, then against who? The Lower Saxony team only scored twice in nine guest games. Good prospects for the FCM. If it weren’t for this home curse…
sid/cke
