Midfielder Lino Tempelmann moved to Oker in January 2025 at the same time as Hoffmann. He made such a good impression as a loan player that Eintracht signed him permanently from Schalke 04 in the summer. As does outside player Mehmet Aydin. In addition, central defender Lukas Frenkert, offensive man Sidi Sané, center player Florian Flick and striker Sebastian Polter have already appeared for the upcoming opponent. Captain Sven Köhler at least played for the second team.
Before the duel with his former club, keeper Hoffmann is looking forward to “a great game and a nice finish,” as the “WAZ” quoted him. “We can build on our good phase from the last few games.” And with the special history in mind, he added with regard to the Schalke game: “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
And he’s definitely not the only one. “It would top every lie in the world if I said that I’m not really looking forward to it,” said Backhaus at the press conference on Friday. “When the game plan came out, I immediately looked: When are we playing against Schalke? Since it’s the last game at the end of the first half of the season, it’s always a matter for a coach whether you’re even allowed to achieve that. I’ve achieved it – that’s an important milestone!”
But Backhaus wants to hide his love for Schalke this Sunday. “We want to beat Schalke here with all our might,” he said. “They would still remain leaders and in the end they should just get promoted. That’s what we wish for them – and I above all.”