OFC left-back Ronny Marcos (right), here against Konrad Faber from Freiburg, threatens to miss the fourth game of the season.
© Huebner
Offenbach – On paper it is the famous compulsory task. But games between Bayern Alzenau and Kickers Offenbach have always had their special charms in the past two seasons. On November 1, 2019, Lower Franconia managed a 2-0 coup on Bieberer Berg with coach Angelo Barletta and ex-OFC players like Daniel Endres or Serkan Firat.
The OFC turned the tables in the Hessen Cup in Alzenau, winning 1-0 after extra time. In the first leg of this season, the Kickers clearly won 3-0.
On Saturday (2 p.m.) the game will be less explosive, not only because of the lack of spectators. The roles seem too clearly distributed. The OFC (51 points) does not want to be naked in the promotion race and before the top games against FSV Frankfurt (Tuesday, 7 p.m.) and SSC Ulm 1846 (Easter Saturday, 2 p.m.). Alzenau (21), who is returning to the field after a two-week Corona forced break, is penultimate, since ten games without a win.
“We approach every opponent with respect,” warns Kickers trainer Sreto Ristic: “It is crucial that the attitude is there and that everyone can achieve 100 percent performance.” A look at the table is irrelevant for him: “Alzenau has one young, talented team, they just seem to have a result problem. “
The OFC trainer, on the other hand, has a personnel problem. In left-back Ronny Marcos, a top performer threatens to fail. The 27-year-old injured his ankle in the “last duel” (Ristic) in a 1-1 draw against SC Freiburg II. On the outside lanes, of all places, the alternatives are few and far between. On the right, the former Alzenau Marco Fritscher (muscular problems) is out. Francesco Calabrese (torn ligament in the ankle), who can be used on both sides and was also once active in Alzenau, is missing a little longer.
Jakob Lemmer (patellar tendinitis), Maurice Pluntke (muscular problems), Leonidas Tiliudis (ailing) and Abu Bakarr Kargbo (post-cruciate ligament training) are still not an issue. Goalkeeper Stephan Flauder reported sick. While a high-quality substitute is available for Flauder in Dominik Draband, it became clear in the first half of the season how difficult it is to replace Marcos. When he had to watch three games with a red card, the OFC only won one: against Alzenau.
A candidate for left behind is Luka Garic. The left foot (20) is a trained midfielder. His problem: He was only used 187 minutes this season, the last time on December 22nd when it was 0-1 in Balingen. Sreto Ristic has not even brought him in twelve games.
And the lack of personnel could increase if the OFC breaks out with jaundice: Tunay Deniz (9 yellow cards), Sebastian Zieliecki, Florent Bojaj and Mathias Fetsch (4 each) are threatened with a forced break.
By Jörg Moll
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