Second-division reunion after more than a decade

On Saturday at 1 p.m., SV Elversberg are playing SC Preußen Münster. This will be a reunion with SVE‘s former youth coach: Preußen’s coach Sascha Hildmann previously coached the club’s youth section. 

Batteries have now been recharged after the international break, and the second division is getting back up and running. SV Elversberg are travelling to face the promoted team from Münster and will be seeking to continue their good performances from before the break. Although the opponent they are facing may only have five points to their name, this could easily have been more. Both coaches, Horst Steffen and Sascha Hildmann, had similar things to say before the game. ‘They had an unlucky start to the season’, was Steffen’s analysis. ‘Münster are a team that are not where they should be in the table in terms of the game they can play. Looking at the values they have chalked up in terms of major opportunities or expected goals, they are level pegging with us. I watched a lot of Preußen Münster’s games and always felt that they were not destined to lose. They have simply had an unlucky streak, but we do not want to be the ones to help them break it on Saturday.’ Hildmann is also aware that the team has not been justly rewarded for its performance so far: ‘If we have learned one thing from our first eight games in the second division, it is that luck plays a huge role in whether you win or lose. We should have beaten Nürnberg and Schalke, but we squandered leads by assisting their goals. All we want to do on Saturday is play well’, SVE’s former youth coach said, focusing on the team’s performance rather than the result. 

We have analysed how SVE operate. Their transition play is fantastic, and we are facing an experienced team.

Sascha Hildmann

This respect is mutual on the Münster side: ‘Very strong. We have analysed how SVE operate. Their transition play is fantastic, and we are facing an experienced team. It will be a fantastic game, and we are already sold-out with 12,000 spectators’, Sascha Hildmann said in an exclusive interview with Saarbrücker Zeitung. The Palatinate native also commented on SVE’s development in recent years: ‘Even then, it was clear to me that this would be Elversberg’s path. The whole club is built on professional structures and everyone wanted to take the next step.  Of course, like us, their jumping straight through to the second division was a sensation, but it did not surprise me.’

We want to be successful on Saturday and play a good game.

Horst Steffen

Horst Steffen will not be able to make use of his players with long-term injuries for this intensive match, but Semih Sahin is unfortunately also out due to an injury. The remainder of the squad is in place, including national players Fisnik Asllani and Elias Baum who have returned to Saarland safe and sound. The approach for Saturday is therefore clear: ‘We want to be successful on Saturday and play a good game’, Horst Steffen explains. ‘Münster have a structure of play that is particularly suited to this league. We need to force them to make mistakes and also finish well if we are to take any points home with us.’