In about nine hours we kick off our second away match of the season. We travel to Bochum for this one and it is the first time we have been there for a league match in over ten years. The away team has never won the match when these two teams faced in the past and we'll be looking to end that curse tonight with a solid start behind us and over 2400 away fans apparently making the trip.
One factor that I hope can change the away team curse in this fixture is of course ex-Bochum player Mahir Saglik. With Marius Ebbers out injured, Saglik will almost certainly start up front for us. His experience at Bochum and his knowledge of the squad will hopefully help, even in the slightest.
In other injury news, Jan-Philipp Kalla has also not travelled due to a knock picked up in the 3-1 win against Aachen. He'll be missed after a great start to the season. Sebastian Schachten can play on the left and probably will do that.
That'll leave the right back spot vacant and it'll either be taken by Patrick Funk - who has yet to start a league game - or the man who started in our cup tie, Carsten Rothenbach. I think it'll be the latter but wouldn't mind seeing how Funk goes.
Fabio Morena has also returned from injury and will travel to Bochum. Don't think he'll start but could be important off the bench.
Andre Schubert has basically said in his press conference that Bochum are a very good side that needs to be respected and that we'll need to be patient.
It's nothing ground breaking but it is important. I think we need to be defensively strong and focus on not giving away cheap possession in the midfield. With the midfield triangle we've used the ball well so far in the first three matches, but have given the ball away poorly at bad times on occasion. We need to make sure we stay tidy and, as the boss says, patient.
The full squad that's travelled to Bochum:
Benedict Pliquett
Philip Tschauner
Lasse Sobiech
Markus Thorandt
Sebastian Schachten
Ralph Gunesch
Davidson Drobo-Ampem
Fabio Morena
Carsten Rothenbach
Patrick Funk
Fin Bartels
Fabian Boll
Florian Bruns
Charles Takyi
Max Kruse
Dennis Daube
Rouwen Hennings
Mahir Saglik
Will probably line up like this:
--------------------Tschauner
Rothenbach----Thorandt-----Sobiech-------Schachten
----------------------Boll
-------------Kruse------------Takyi
Bartels------------------------------------Bruns
---------------------Saglik
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