Karlsruhe (dpa / lsw) – Coach Christian Eichner has apparently not yet decided who he will use in the second division game against second-placed SV Darmstadt 98 as the second central defender alongside Stephan Ambrosius. Because soccer professional Marcel Franke will be absent on Saturday (1 p.m. / Sky) due to a stem cell donation, Eichner will either put the recovered Christoph Kobald or Florian Ballas in the starting eleven. It will be a “gut decision that the coach will make again at some point in the Pforzheim motorway construction site,” explained Eichner with a smile.
Franke, who wants to save someone’s life with his donation, confirmed that the 39-year-old is a great role model. “Basically, it’s a great move by the player and person Marcel Franke,” he said. “It was immediately clear to us that we would be totally supportive of that.” The 29-year-old’s downtime is uncertain. The defender plans to return to training early next week.
Goal scorer Marvin Wanitzek also praised his team-mate’s readiness. “There are more important things than sport when you can save someone’s life,” he clarified. Eichner may also have to find a replacement for the ailing Philip Heise on the left wing at sixth-placed KSC. Like last time, Marco Thiede could be used here.
