fck news recap - 1. FC Kaiserslautern

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In Teufels Namen
fck news recap
The Red Devils claimed a clear-cut home
win over Sandhausen before holding 1. FC
Köln to a 3-3 draw in a thrilling encounter
in Cologne. These results see the Red Devils remain in third place in the standings,
one point adrift of second-placed Hertha
BSC. Following the DFB Cup clash away at
FC Bayern on Wednesday, Foda and his
men will host FC Erzgebirge Aue at the
Betzenberg on Monday evening.
The injury woes continued to mount for
the Red Devils ahead of their trip to the
Cathedral city as Hendrick Zuck, Julian
Derstroff, Marc Torrejón, and Albert
Bunjaku joined the long list of FCK absentees. In addition to them, also Enis
Alushi, Mimoun Azaouagh, Pierre De
Wit, Ilian Micanski, and Anthar Yahia
were not available for selection.
However, Sippel and Co. displayed a committed performance and picked up a well-
deserved point against the Billy Goats.
Baumjohann opened the scoring early,
but the hosts pulled two goals back before half-time to give the Red Devils a
tough 15 minutes in the dressing room.
To make things worse, Dick and Linsmayer
had to be substituted due to minor injuries. The Red Devils demonstrated their
fighting spirit and Idrissou leveled the
scores, but Royer restored Köln’s lead 15
minutes from time. Just as it seemed a
defeat was inevitable, Idrissou ghosted in
at the near post to meet Nsor’s cross and
snatch a superb last-gasp equalizer (88’)
to earn Foda’s men a point.
With the DFB Cup clash against FC Bayern only five days later, Foda and his
men had hardly any time to breathe and
returned to the training ground already
on Saturday. The players and coaching
staff certainly took the time to congratulate FCK CEO Stefan Kuntz on his 50th
Franco Foda, the Red Devils sit in third
spot on 21 points from eleven games.
Are you satisfied with the team’s performance so far this season?
I'm satisfied with our place in the standings, the points total and also with
the way we've played for the most part.
I'm obviously not happy with the games
we should have killed off but didn't,
but these things always happen over
the course of a season. We are still unbeaten and we’ve managed to pick up
three points against Sandhausen in
what was a difficult game.
game. Everyone expected us to win, but
I warned my men not to underestimate
Sandhausen. They gave us a tough time
and we lost control after conceding the
equalizer, but we fought our way back into
the game and I think we deserved to win.
You are referring to your team’s last
home game…
We knew it was going to be a difficult
The Red Devils host FC Erzgebirge Aue
at the Betzenberg on Matchday 12. How
are you going to approach this game?
The win was followed by a thrilling
away game against the Billy Goats …
Yes, it was a great game. Both sides pushed
forward for the full 90 minutes. I have to
pay a big compliment to my team. The lads
came back twice to pick up a hard-earned
point against a strong Köln side.
birthday before traveling to Munich on
Tuesday afternoon.
There was no respite for Foda and his men
afterwards as they kicked-off their preparation for the game against Erzgebirge
Aue soon after their return to Kaiserslautern. The Red Devils certainly hope for
a quick return of their key players, but the
young squad that drew with Köln delivered
a strong performance and proved what it
is capable of. “We are staunchly committed
to reaching our collective objective; and
we will do our best to add a further three
points to our tally on Monday,” Sippel said
ahead of the encounter with Aue.
We certainly want to win. We will go into
this game with confidence, but we won’t
underestimate Aue. Aue will come into
this game with a renewed confidence
after beating Bochum 6-1 last Saturday.
However, we will play in front of our home
crowd and we will fight tooth and nail to
claim another home win on Monday.
betze news
FC ERZGEBIRGE AUE
Following a respectable 5th-place finish
in the 2010 ⁄ 11 campaign, FC Erzgebirge
Aue - widely known as the ‘Violets’
because of their club colors - just managed to avoid the relegation playoff
last season, finishing in 15th spot.
Fabian Müller, what are Aue’s ambitions for the 2012 ⁄ 13 season?
Everybody at the club knows that playing in Bundesliga 2 is a great achievement for a small club like Aue. We have
to get Bundesliga 2 status for next
season again and we want to reach the
40-point barrier as quick as we can.
What makes you believe that Aue can
reach this aim?
We have a strong squad, and first of all,
we are a strong unit. We are well aware
of what Bundesliga 2 soccer means to
the club and the entire region. We don’t
want to let this slip away, and we work
very hard to reach our aim.
Having garnered 12 points from eleven
games, FC Erzgebirge Aue currently sits
in 11th position in the standings, with
three wins, three draws and five defeats
to their name. The ‘Violets’ go into the
match on the back of a three-game
unbeaten run after defeating Jahn
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In an attempt to address the issues that
nearly led to his side’s relegation from
the second division, Aue head coach
Karsten Baumann tried to reinforce and
strengthen his squad over the summer.
Defender Tobias Nickening and strikers
Vlad Munteanu and Jakub Sylvestr were
brought into the squad ahead of the
2012 ⁄ 13 campaign to add more depth
to the team. In Jan Hochscheidt the
‘Violets’ have a strong attacking midfielder in their ranks who is also capable of performing in attack while Marc
Hensel and Nicolas Höfler operate in
more deep-lying positions as holding
midfielders.
In Teufels Namen
Located in the Ore Mountains (Saxony), Aue is a small town with a
population of around 18,000. The
Saxony club began life in 1949 as BSG
Pneumatik Aue, adopting BSG Zentra
Wismut Aue before winning three
titles in the former GDR between 1956
and 1959 as SC Wismut Karl-MarxStadt. Further changes to BSG Wismut
Aue and FC Wismut Aue followed before the club finally settled on FC
Erzgebirge Aue in 1993. Ten years
later, Erzgebirge Aue reached Bundesliga 2 and returned in 2010 following
a two-year hiatus. Having about 2,550
members, FC Erzgebirge Aue is one of
the smallest clubs in Bundesliga 2.
Regensburg and holding 1860 Munich
to a draw, before thrashing VfL Bochum
6-1 last weekend.
1. FC Kaiserslautern and FC Erzgebirge
Aue have faced each other four times,
with the Red Devils winning both home
games against the ‘Violets’.
What are your targets for the encounter with the Red Devils?
In my opinion, the pressure to win is on
the Red Devils. We want to defend well,
stand tight, and give our best against
FCK. We go into the game on the back of
a 6-1 win. We want to build on this win
and play our game. We will see what the
match holds in store for us.
You were part of the FCK squad that
won promotion to the top flight in
2010. What are your fondest memories of your time at FCK?
It was an absolutely outstanding year.
The mood was brilliant – in the team, in
its surroundings and the entire region.
It was great fun and a great experience.
What are you looking forward to most
when you return to the Betzenberg?
The stadium, the fans, and this very
special atmosphere at the Betze.
masthead
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