Red Devils Fired Up for Cup Clash with Frankfurt
The Red Devils face second-division Eintracht Frankfurt in a meed-week DFB Cup match away from home on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 (kick-off 8:30 p.m.). Marco Kurz and his men are totally fired up for the cup clash against their local rivals from Frankfurt as they aim to book their place in round three of the DFB Cup.
Eintracht Frankfurt - FCK
The Red Devils claimed their third three-point haul of the season, defeating SC Freiburg 1-0 last Saturday. It was their second win in a row after Kurz’s charges wrapped up a stunning 2-1 victory over Schalke one week earlier. Moreover, the men around team captain Christian Tiffert finally kept a clean sheet again. Kaiserslautern put up a pragmatic, disciplined showing in front of their home crowd at the Betzenberg. “It was a very good performance in terms of the team’s organisation in all departments,” Kurz praised his men after the 1-0 home win on Saturday.
The win will surely give the Red Devils confidence for the cup clash with local rivals Eintracht Frankfurt. However, there is no time for a breather as Kurz’s men face Frankfurt only four days after their league game against Freiburg. Kurz gathered his team at the training ground already on Sunday to prepare his lads for the challenge ahead.
Actually, there is no reason to make massive changes to the team. However, FCK boss Kurz is spoilt for choice ahead of Wednesday’s game. Central defender Rodnei is available for selection again after having served his one-match ban on Saturday, and also left-back Leon Jessen could return to action as he has fully recovered from a pelvic bone injury. However, the Red Devils’ new-look defensive line with Abel alongside Amedick in central defense and Bugera at left-back delivered a strong performance. They stood firm and limited Freiburg to as few chances as barely any other side did so far this season. 
The Red Devils’ defensive line is facing a tough test in Frankfurt as Frankfurt’s offensive unit around Mohamadou Idrissou, Theofanis Gekas and Erwin ‘Jimmy’ Hoffer is one of the most feared attacks in the Bundesliga second division. In the injury-enforced absence of Gekas, former ‘Lautern player Hoffer proved his nose for goal, scoring three goals in the past two matches. Nonetheless, Gekas is expected to be match fit and availabe for selection again on Wednesday.
Frankfurt’s team captain Pirmin Schwegler, on the other hand, picked up a red card in last season’s cup match against Alemannia Aachen and is still banned for Wednesday’s encounter with FCK. That means Armin Veh’s team will be without its playmaker. However, Frankfurt’s head coach Veh has many talented and experienced players at his disposal and Mathias Lehmann is likely to replace Schwegler on Wednesday. The ‘Eagles’, this season’s top candidates for promotion to the top flight, have an impressive record. Gekas & Co. scored 33 goals in 13 league games and Veh’s men are currently riding a five-game winning streak.
Despite Frankfurt’s relegation to the second divison, FCK boss Marco Kurz sees the encounter with Eintracht Frankfurt as a ‘meeting between equals’. “Moreover, the Eagles have home-field advantage, that won’t make it easier for us;” Kurz said at the pre-match press conference. “Neverheless, we go into the game wanting to win!” There has been a long-standing rivalry between the Red Devils and the ‘Eagles’. Frankfurt versus FCK has seldom been boring. They have always been exciting games, with an amazing atmosphere in the ground. 4,500 FCK fans will travel to Frankfurt to support their team and cheer their heroes on at the Commerzbank-Arena on Wednesday evening.
