Not an “annoying compulsory task” in the middle of the hot championship final spurt. Even the semi-final in the “small” Westphalia Cup at arch-rival Bielefeld (Saturday 2 p.m.) is a big deal for third division team Münster…
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No cup experiments. Prussia also wants to conquer the Alm!
It’s not just the unbeatable series – in 2024 there was no defeat in eleven competitive games (8 wins/3 draws) – that needs to be expanded. Rather, the “Black-White-Greens” really want to get to the final in order to securely qualify for the lucrative first main round of the DFB Cup through this competition.
In front of a magnificent backdrop. Despite the live broadcast on television (WDR), the people of East Westphalia are expecting more than 17,000 spectators at the Alm. Including a good 3,000 from Münster. Absolute record in the association cup that guarantees a real derby atmosphere! Head coach Sascha Hildmann (51) is enthusiastic: “We are extremely motivated. Everyone sticks their finger in their butt and walks on their own.”
Prussia’s midfielder Luca Bazzoli (l.) missed the cup win in Bielefeld because of a severe case of flu
Photo: sampics / Stefan Matzke
Accordingly, he is not planning any serious changes to the starting eleven. The Eagles are expected to start with almost the same team that last won 2-1 against the Lions. Two exceptions: central defender Alexander Hahn (30) is out with scarlet fever and midfielder Luca Bazzoli (23) is out with the flu. Defensive veteran Simon Scherder (30/missed in Munich due to stomach and intestinal illness) and Rico Preißinger (27) return to the team for them.
There is also no change between the posts. Although “Crown Prince” Johannes Schenk (21) has been waiting for a new opportunity for over three months. But Hildmann has made up his mind and is also relying on regular goalkeeper Maximilian Schulze Niehues (35) in the cup: “Max is playing. However, this has nothing to do with the performance of Johannes, who enjoys complete trust from us in every respect. But we also want to protect him to a certain extent. If we let Schenki get to it in Bielefeld and the ball slips unhappily through his hands – whatever can happen – there will only be unnecessary discussions.”
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He already explained it to the Bayern loanee in a one-on-one conversation. “It’s obviously a difficult situation for him, especially since it’s still unclear how and where he will continue after this season,” says Hildmann and continues, “but he has to get through it. Johannes is a good and very talented goalkeeper for whom a solution can definitely be found. I’m not worried about him at all.”
In the second game of the first series, the Prussians suffered the biggest defeat of the current season with 0:4 in Bielefeld. Since then, however, they have developed enormously. They are currently the best team in the second half of the season, while Arminia is at the bottom of this ranking. Nevertheless, Hildmann warns: “The Bielefeld team has really strong individual players and is also on an upward trend. In the 0-1 draw in Mannheim, they were definitely better than Waldhof recently, had more shots and were extremely unlucky. It’s going to be a really tough number for us.”
Prussia’s goalkeeper “crown prince” Johannes Schenk has to wait for his next chance and is sitting on the bench again in Bielefeld
Photo: Marcel Engelbrecht/firo Sportphoto
But he relies entirely on his boys, who have become more mature and more relaxed over the past few months. We can now even dream of making it to the second division. As fourth in the table, only three points separate them from leaders SSV Ulm. Hildmann: “I would say that we have acclimatized as newcomers to the league. With the support of our great fans, many things are possible…”
While numerous competitors can take a breather this weekend due to the international break, Münster’s coach is happy about the Alm appearance: “Because it allows us to stay in our rhythm, keep the concentration and excitement high.” After all, the top game weeks follow for his eagle bearers. That’s it one after the other against league runners-up Dynamo Dresden (30/3/2 p.m.), third-placed Jahn Regensburg (6/4/2 p.m.) and league leaders Ulm (13/4/2 p.m.). The chance for the Prussian Eagle to prove itself to grab one of the coveted promotion ranks.
A cup success over Arminia would certainly make his already broad chest swell even further in the run-up to this “three-peat”…
2024-03-22 13:50:05
#cup #experiments #Prussia #conquer #Alm #Sports
