Prussia's quest for advancement - Batman and Johnny go in pursuit of mice.
The teams are getting closer to the end, and they could potentially clarify everything this weekend...
Recently promoted team Münster is on the verge of their biggest feat in 33 years - promotion to the 2nd division. If their rival Jahn Regensburg loses at Viktoria Köln (2pm on Saturday) and Münster wins at Verl (Sunday 4:30pm/broadcast on Magenta Sport), they could even skip the playoffs.
What a crazy situation!
Münster is also leading the goal-scoring board. Jannik Mause (25) currently has 18 goals, with Malik "Batman" Batmaz (24) and Joel Johnny Grodowski (26/17) close behind him. However, Mause is out with a calf injury, leaving 180 minutes for Batmaz and Grodowski to surpass him.
The main goal for both players is to secure promotion. "Batman" and Johnny agree, "It doesn't matter who scores the goals, the important thing is that we get promoted." As professional athletes, they add, "If it's us, it would make for a great ending."
Will there be a double promotion in the end? Grodowski says, "Almost all our goals have been scored by Batmaz and me. It would be nice to finish this great season with 19 goals each." Batmaz feels the same, "There's no rivalry between us. We encourage each other and benefit from each other. We're happy for each other, so it would be great if we end up sharing the goal-scoring title."
But it's not over yet. The game against Ostwestfalen will be tough for the second-place team in the league. Coach Hildmann is aware of this: "SC Verl has a strong team and has Lars Lokotsch (27), a dangerous forward, to watch out for."
Lokotsch scored the winning goal against Dresden last Saturday, securing Verl's relegation. Could this be an advantage for Münster? Hildmann disagrees, "I don't think so. Verl can play freely with nothing to lose, but we're focused and passionate."
As many as 3,000 fans from Münster are expected at the small Poststrasse stadium. Apart from Dominic Schad (27/torn ankle ligament) and attacking player Thorben Deters (28/suspended with a yellow card), the team is at full strength.
Münster players will head to Verl on Saturday afternoon and stay in a nearby team hotel, where they can focus and prepare for their most crucial game in years.
However, if Regensburg wins at Viktoria, the decision might be postponed until the season's final game on May 18 at home against Spielvereinigung Unterhaching (1:30pm). Coach Hildmann takes it in stride, "We're only concerned about our own performance. As long as we perform to our best, we won't be concerned with anything else."
Then the dream of reaching the Bundesliga's lower division would become a reality.
○ By the way, those without tickets for Verl can watch the game live on a big screen at Jovel. Admission is 10 euros and includes a drink.
■■ The latest episode of the popular insider podcast "Preußen Privat" featuring midfielder Luca Bazzoli (23) is now available for free. Listen online at www.preussenprivat.de and wherever podcasts are available.
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Source: symclub.org
