- 06.02.10
- First Team
Sunday 1:30 p.m. – Build on Aachen Win
The penny has finally dropped on Monday as the Red Devils did not only score their first goals after the winter break but also defended their top spot in the standings. Facing SC Paderborn at the Betzenberg on Sunday, February 7, 2010, Marco Kurz’s side is eager to chalk up another victory.
FCK - Paderborn
The contentment after the road win against Aachen was clearly perceptible among the players and everyone involved. Kurz’s men did not only steal three points, but the Red Devils impressively displayed their strong points that earned them their superior lead prior to the winter break. The Red Devils excellent defending to win soccer which was build on their aggressively pressing defense set up a number of dangerous counterattacks that could have resulted in even more goals than Sidney Sam’s hat-trick.
FCK head coach Marco Kurz wants his men to build on this win on Sunday. Kurz treated his players to a tough training schedule this week, starting with fitness training on Tuesday before the Red Devils jumped into their tough preparation for the home game already on Wednesday. After the game away to Aachen, Kurz and his side were hit by bad news as winter signing Pierre de Wit ruptured a cruciate ligament and will now be facing a long injury lay-off. To make things worse, it is the third cruciate ligament rupture in the career of the 22-year-old player.
In consequence of the severe knee injury Bastian Schulz has suffered early in December, he is still working on his fitness hoping to be able to return to the team soon. That makes it even more important that Georges Mandjeck is back from the African Cup of Nations again. Having already made his first appearance as a second-half substitute in Aachen, he is fit and raring to go on Sunday. 
Andre Schubert, Paderborn’s head coach, has to deal with the bad consequences of a severe knee injury as well. His striker Gaetanno Manno has ruptured a cruciate ligament in the first match after the winter break and will be out of action for several weeks too. Therefore, Mahir Saglik, the most successful scorer at SC Paderborn (9 goals) will now have to do without the assists of his team-mate.
However, there is more bad news for Schubert and his team. Right back Jens Wemmer has suffered an ankle injury in a test game this week, while center back Sören Gonther is still plagued with an adductor muscle strain. To make things worse, Paderborn’s goalkeeper Daniel Masuch has not fully recovered from a pelvic contusion yet. Since all three may be absent in the match on Sunday, the defensive unit will be significantly weakened.
Nevertheless, SC Paderborn is one of the positive surprises of the season. Lying ninth in the standings, 12 points clear of spot 16, the side from Eastern Westphalia can start their journey to Kaiserslautern in a comparatively relaxed mood. Victories like the one against FC St. Pauli or KSC mark impressive highlights of SCP’s return to the big time. However, last weekend’s home defeat against FSV Frankfurt has put an end to their four-game undefeated streak.
With regard to statistics, goals at the right end are highly appreciated on Sunday as the last three encounters between 1. FC Kaiserslautern and SC Paderborn all ended in goalless draws. Following 270 goalless minutes, the Red Devils will now be keen on putting an end to the goal drought at the Betzenberg on Sunday!
