Fire have lost only one of their 24 games since the beginning of 2023, dominate the Western Conference of the European League of Football and have already reached the play-offs. The Hanseatics, on the other hand, have only won their games against the Prague Lions, who are still winless overall, this year.
But Timur BeckmannTight End Coach and Sports Director of the Rhinelanders, downplays the issue: “We take every opponent seriously and prepare ourselves carefully, otherwise we could get caught badly.”
The Hamburg team around Head Coach Matt Johnson has set itself the goal of ending Düsseldorf’s winning streak.
“We are looking forward to our revenge against Rhein Fire. They beat us in front of 25,000 Sea Devils fans in the Volksparkstadion. Back then, we gave them a real lead in the first quarter. We finally want to take advantage of our chances and play good, high-quality football.”emphasizes Matt JohnsonHead Coach of the Hamburg Sea Devils.
Recovery or ‘rust’?
Last weekend, the Fire had a free weekend, the first bye week of the season. Head Coach Jim Tomsula had given the entire team and its coaches eight days off. The effect of the first opportunity to switch off from football since the start of intensive preparation in April will be seen against the ‘Sea Devils’.
“We hope that the recovery effect is greater than the ‘rust’ from doing nothing.”says Timur Beckmann. Whether the recently affected missing Sergej Kendus and Justin Schlesinger Whether we will be able to get involved again thanks to the additional break will probably only be decided at short notice.
In the first leg at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion, Fire had made a sensational start. Shortly after the start of the second quarter, the Rhinelanders had already scored their fifth touchdown to 34:0lead, the defense had already captured two Sea Devils balls and only allowed one first down. 61:23-Final score then also players of the visiting team, who are not usually first choice, were given sufficient playing time.
A special reunion awaits the Hamburg safety Lasse Meyer The 27-year-old played for Düsseldorf from 2022 to 2023 and is now looking forward to meeting his former teammates. “Of all the games, I was most looking forward to the game against Rhein Fire. I still have a lot of friends on the other team and when you play against your own friends, you always give a higher percentage.”so Meyer.
Despite the joy of seeing old friends again, Lasse Meyer is aware of the difficulty of the task. “It will be a tough game. The Rhein Fire offense is probably the best in the league. It will be a particularly tough game for us as a defense, but it’s always fun to compete with the best. But we will give it our all and want to try to annoy the reigning champions a bit.”
DKMS offers registration
As always at home games, fans will have plenty of opportunity to celebrate Fire at the stadium from 1 p.m. On top of performances by the ‘Cheer & Dance Team’ and the ‘Flight Crew’ as well as live music with the ‘Freak Show’, a charity event is in the spotlight. The DKMS has a stand where all visitors can register for a potential stem cell donation in order to do their part in the fight against blood cancer.
ELEMENT Week 120
Rhein Fire (9-1) vs. Hamburg Sea Devils (2-7)
SUN 11 August 2024 16:25 · Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena Duisburg
