Reaction needed at Sandhausen
Friday, 15. March 2019, 14:00 Uhr
After the bitterly disappointing 4-0 defeat in the derby, the onus is on the Boys in Brown at SV Sandhausen on Saturday. A big improvement will be needed against the relegation strugglers if Markus Kauczinski's side are to sign off into the international break with a win.
"It's very annoying and disappointing that we weren't at our best in such an important game," said director of sport Uwe Stöver after the crushing reverse against HSV. Captain Johannes Flum called it a "smack in the face that will hurt for a long time." It will take a while for the Boys in Brown to get over the defeat, but there has been no time to mope as they have to go again at Sandhausen this Saturday. Kauczinski's charges will need to "show their true face" again there, as midfielder Marvin Knoll put it before the game.
"We still lead the chasing pack and we're determined to get a result to keep in touch with the top three," added Knoll. "Sandhausen is always a tough place to go. They're a rugged side with a very physical approach. We need to hold our own and show a reaction." A view shared by Johannes Flum: "We've been very focused in our preparations for Sandhausen. We know it's going to be tough. Anyone who thinks it'll be easy because Sandhausen are near the bottom of the table is in the wrong job. We have to turn things around and put in a good performance. A win before the international break would do us good."
A win is what Sandhausen managed last Sunday, and what an important one it was. After a barren run of four matches (one draw, three defeats), Uwe Koschinat's side won 1-0 at fellow strugglers Magdeburg. A defeat would have seen Magdeburg widen the gap to themselves and the first non-relegation spot to eight points. As it was, Sandhausen reduced the gap to two points to preserve their hopes of reaching safety.
Koschinat, who took over from Kenan Kocak after the 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture at the Millerntor in early October, aims to take the momentum from last week's success into Saturday's game. A fifth win of the season would lift them into 15th place. Markus Kauczinski, who can call upon the services of Mats Møller Dæhli (stomach flu) and Ersin Zehir (suspended) again will be out to prevent that, of course. "As it is in life, you get knocked down and have to get up again. We have to show we're a good team and are capable of bouncing back," concluded Knoll.
Photos: Witters
