What is your opinion? 2
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We will win (2) 100%
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It will end undecided (0) 0%
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We will lose (0) 0%
Friday, 6 p.m. Derby against TuS Koblenz
The Red Devils have two more games to go before they can enjoy their well-earned winter break. In this year’s last home game on Friday, December 11, 2009, FCK meets TuS Koblenz in a derby at the Betzenberg.
With five successive wins and no more than one goal conceded, the Red Devils and their fans are riding on a huge wave of success. Last week-end, Marco Kurz’s team picked up three points in Rostock. Thanks to a goal by Adam Nemec and a superb performance by shot-stopper Tobias Sippel, the Red Devils cemented their top spot in the league table. Since they are already four points clear of second-placed FC St. Pauli and even eight points ahead of Arminia Bielefeld, a victory over TuS Koblenz would secure the Red Devils the front-runners position through to next year.
FCK head coach Marco Kurz and his team are meticulously preparing for the match on Friday to continue their winning streak. However, after partially rupturing his cruciate ligament in Rostock, Bastian Schulz will not be able to help his team-mates on Friday. While the 24-year-old midfielder is set to be out of action for up to six weeks, Sidney Sam, who has suffered a strain to his left thigh in last Saturday’s game and was forced to leave the pitch after a few minutes, is hoping to be match fit again on Friday.
In comparison to FCK’s great first half of the season and the overwhelmingly good mood in Kaiserslautern, the visitors are experiencing tough times. Languishing in 16th spot in the table since matchday five, the atmosphere is strained in Koblenz these days. Last week-end’s crushing 1-5 defeat against FC St. Pauli made it even worse, and it looks like Uwe Rapolder’s team will be facing a tough fight again to avoid relegation.
Rapolder’s intentions, however, were completely different since the radical change he made to the squad in summer was supposed to establish the club in the safe part of the league table. Nonetheless, the leaving of players like Du-Ri Cha (SC Freiburg), Goran Sukalo (FC Augsburg), Marko Lomic (Partizan Belgrad), Branimir Bajic (Denizlispor) and ex FCK player Rüdiger Ziehl (VfL Wolfsburg II) are obviously more difficult to compensate than expected. The more than 15 new signings did not cater for the hoped-for success so far.
The two defenders Benjamin Lense (Hansa Rostock) and Shqipran Skeraj (KF Pristina) as well as the two Brazilian midfielders Everson (Etoile Sportive) and Melinho (Sigma Olmütz) are part of the regular first-choice line-up. The only one who has really created a furor in Koblenz is forward Shefki Kuqi, who joined TuS from Crystal Palace in summer. Shefki Kuqi, whose brother Njazi has been playing for TuS Koblenz for three years now, scored seven goals for TuS early in the season. However, he has not managed to hit the target in the last five matches.
FCK fans would certainly welcome if Kuqi’s streak of bad luck would not break on Friday. However, in spite of the convenient situation of being the front-runner who meets a bottom-of-the-table team, the Red Devils and their coach know that caution is strongly advised, the more so as TuS Koblenz displays a good performance at the Betzenberg most of the times and has managed to pick up three points here before. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Marco Kurz will perfectly prepare his men for the derby on Friday. The coach and the entire team alike are looking forward to a thrilling encounter and lots of fans to support their team in this year’s last game at Fritz Walter Stadium.