Will the Cup KO Dynamo Dresden play into FC Ingolstadt‘s hands against Darmstadt 98 (2:3 after extra time) on Wednesday evening? In any case, on Saturday (2 p.m./Magenta Sport) the Saxons have to compete against the Schanzer at the end of their third English week in a row.
The duel against the co-favorites for promotion could also be a question of better strength reserves.
For FCI coach Sabrina Wittmann, who wants to continue the series of five games without defeat with a win in order to catch up to the top of the table, this is blocked from considerations. “I don’t see us having an advantage because of that. Dresden is a top team in the 3rd league that can add a lot of personnel. We expect a very structured and variable opponent,” said the FCI trainer.
Question marks behind the use of Testroet
In fact, she is happy that captain Lukas Fröde is eligible to play again after serving a yellow card suspension. The 1.92 meter long midfielder in particular could be an important factor against the robust Dresden team with his size and header strength. “Luke is always important, not just on the field, but also off the field, he leads the team,” says Wittmann, but doesn’t give him any guarantee of action: “We’ll see on Saturday how we start.” Behind Pascal, who was recently ill Testroet, who suffered a blow in training, is still a question mark. “I assume that it will work,” says Wittmann.
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Most recently, the young talents Max Plath (19) and Deniz Zeitler (17) represented the two veterans. Not a flash in the pan for Wittmann. “They are there for a reason and have been introduced well. I’m not afraid to throw the boys in. If we in the coaching team have the feeling that they are helping us, they will play,” says the 33-year-old about her protégés, whose journey she has already accompanied in the club’s youth performance center.
Wittmann needs competition anyway, as six players, Moritz Seiffert, Tim Heike, Dennis Hoppe, Ryan Malone, Leon Guwara and, more recently, Maximilian Dittgen, are out injured. At Dittgen there is a risk of a longer downtime again because an old injury has reopened. However, the club did not yet want to announce an exact diagnosis.
No reunion with ex-FCI captain Kutschke
But Dresden cannot compete with the full cast either. Dynamo coach Stamm, who took over the head coaching position at the traditional Saxon club in the summer after nine years of youth work at SC Freiburg, has to do without captain Stefan Kutschke (red card suspension) and midfield driver Niclas Hauptmann (yellow card suspension). Despite the exhausting cup fight, in which Jakob Lemmer equalized a deficit with his two goals before Dynamo lost in extra time, Hauptmann is certain: “We are physically fit and have a big squad. The boys will do something in Ingolstadt.”
In addition to Lemmer and Oliver Batista Meier, who ended a series of four games without a win with his goal in the extremely difficult 2-1 against Hannover 96 II, there are others with the Pöttmeser striker Christoph Daferner (six goals) and youngster Tony Menzel (four). dangerous offensive forces available. “The positive has to outweigh the negatives by the day after tomorrow at the latest,” said Stamm about the disappointment after being eliminated in a game that they helped shape for over 120 minutes. “The performance can give us a lot of courage. We also have to show this intensity and morale in the league so that we can stay ahead,” said the 41-year-old.
The game, for which 8,500 spectators are expected, will be a benchmark for Ingolstadt. With a win, the Schanzer could catch up to the top places in the table and shorten the gap to Dresden to two points. That would be a positive signal for the planned catch-up race until the winter break.
