Status: 14.08.2024 12:52
Fourth division football club 1. FC Phönix Lübeck is facing the biggest game in the club’s history. On Saturday, the Travestadt team will face Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in the first round of the DFB Cup – in front of more than 48,000 spectators in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
The Lübeck team moved to the arena of the second division HSV because their own stadium at Buniamshof with 3,000 spectators does not meet the safety requirements of the DFB Cup. The home ground of VfB Lübeck at Lohmühle was not an option due to fan rivalry, among other things.
But there was also criticism of the match on Saturday (6 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter) in the Volksparkstadion: HSV fans accused their club of greed and unfurled protest banners during the second division match against Hertha BSC.
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Game against BVB a “different dimension” for Phönix Lübeck
But Phönix does not want to concern themselves with such debates and sensitivities – there is enough to do on the Trave with the preparations for the “game of the century”. There is an “agreement” with HSV, they will help us with all professional questions, said Phönix managing director Frank Salomon to NDR. There was an “incredible amount of detailed questions” to be dealt with: “From a small team that will certainly need medical care afterwards,” he added with a grin.
AUDIO: Phönix Lübeck is looking forward to the cup duel with Borussia Dortmund (2 min)
Office manager Michael Howe also speaks of a “completely different dimension” that the recent days and weeks have brought with them: In the small office of the regional league team, things are like a madhouse. “Regional league is professional football, but when you draw BVB as your opponent in the first round of the cup, that’s a completely different story.”
Coach Adigo: “Our chance is that we don’t have one”
Logistics is one thing, the other is the sporting action on the pitch, where the regional league team is a clear underdog against Dortmund’s star ensemble: Lübeck’s squad value is 1.1 million euros, while BVB’s is 481.1 million euros. With the exception of reserve goalkeeper Alexander Meyer, every single player in the Dortmund team is valued higher than the entire Phoenix team. So does Lübeck have no chance? “Yes, of course,” said coach Christiano Adigo, who was under no illusions, but added: “But that’s basically our chance – that we don’t have one.”
Captain Johann Berger at least has a game plan: “Play as well as possible, make one or two pinpricks and then see what happens.” Regardless of whether anything really comes of it in the end, for midfielder Jonathan Stöver the match is “100 percent the highlight” of his career: “An almost sold-out Volkspark against a Champions League finalist – to top that again, a lot would have to go well.”
Successful dress rehearsal with first win of the season
Last season, Phönix had a long-term chance of promotion to the third division in the Regionalliga Nord and ended up third in the table. But after the best result in the club’s history, there was a major upheaval, with top scorers Haris Hyseni (Drochtersen/Assel) and Vjekoslav Taritas (VfB Oldenburg) leaving the club.
After all: After the state cup exit in the derby at VfB (1:2) and the league opening defeat in Lohne (0:2), the Schleswig-Holsteiners celebrated their first win of the season last Saturday with a 3:1 win against VfB Oldenburg and a successful dress rehearsal before the big DFB Cup appearance.
By the way, exactly 412 spectators came to the home Bunianshof for the match against Oldenburg. That is the average for the previous season. And therefore at least 48,000 spectators less than the crowd that the Lübeck team can expect in the Volkspark on Saturday.
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The regional league football team reacted to the poor start to the season. On Sunday, the new coach Lucas Beniermann will make his debut in the cup match against HSV. more
On July 26, 1969, the Regionalliga team failed in the DFB Cup qualifiers against their own amateurs – and lodged a protest against the result of the match. more
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Sports news | 17.08.2024 | 22:25
