Rostock (dpa / mv) – Second division soccer team Hansa Rostock can again plan with Ryan Malone in the home game against 1. FC Magdeburg on Saturday (1 p.m. / Sky). The central defender has recovered from the foot injury that forced him to sit out the game at Fortuna Düsseldorf (1:3) and is again a candidate for the starting XI. “He’s back,” confirmed Hansa coach Jens Härtel on Thursday.
Simon Rhein, a cornerstone of Härtel’s personnel concept, will also be missing. The defensive midfielder was last used in a match against Karlsruher SC on August 27 (0:2). “We still need patience with him. He will fail,” said Härtel. Newcomer Anderson Lucoqui, who was loaned out by Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05, has been training again since Thursday after an illness.
After three defeats in a row, the Hanseatic League and Haertel are under pressure. Therefore, against the promoted team, who celebrated their first home win last weekend with a 2-1 win over Greuther Fürth, who had been relegated to the Bundesliga, the third three-pointer in the Ostseestadion should come. “We’re well prepared. We have to correct our mistakes, be grippy in duels and make better use of the situations we’re going to get,” Hartel demanded.
The Hansa coach hopes that his weakening offensive will finally find more power in the clash between the two former East German top division teams. “The last games have shown that the FCM allow something. When the door opens, you have to go through it. And we have to make sure that it opens as often as possible,” said the 53-year-old. The Elbestadt have already conceded 19 goals, more than any other team in the league.
