There have been more headlines about the pitch in Saarbrücken’s Ludwigspark this season than about the associated third division football team. And that despite the fact that the professionals at 1. FC Saarbrücken sensationally knocked second division Karlsruher SC, record champions FC Bayern Munich and last year’s finalist Eintracht Frankfurt out of the DFB Cup.
Before the quarter-finals on Tuesday (8.30 p.m./ZDF and Sky), it’s less about Saarbrücken’s duel with Borussia Mönchengladbach and more about the question: Is things going smoothly in Ludwigspark this time? Saarbrücken’s coach Rüdiger Ziehl is confident. The conditions are not ideal. “But the way the pitch looked on Saturday and the way it looks now, I firmly believe that we will play,” said Saarbrücken’s coach.
The game was canceled at short notice in February because constant rain made the pitch unplayable. The weather forecast seems a little more favorable five weeks later, with only light rain expected on Tuesday. Nevertheless, Saarbrücken’s coach Rüdiger Ziehl addressed a few work orders last weekend after the turf dress rehearsal in his own stadium.
Lawn not yet “super good”
“Something will still have to be done towards Tuesday. The city will definitely invest several hours of time every day so that the place is even better on Tuesday,” said Ziehl. The turf was not yet “super good,” said the coach after the clash between Saarbrücken and Aue. “It was still possible to play football.” That wasn’t the case on February 7th. “The pitch is in a disastrous condition,” said referee Florian Badstübner at the time.
The dilapidated pitch, which caused the game against Dynamo Dresden to be canceled due to weather conditions in the autumn, was subsequently replaced. A few places had to be improved after the change. However, only 100 of a total of 8,000 square meters were affected. After the repair work, the greenkeepers wanted to have plenty of rest.
“The maintenance work since the Bielefeld game has had the desired effect. The pitch has developed well and is in good condition for the time of year,” said city spokesman Thomas Blug recently. Aue’s coach Pavel Dotchev, who is very familiar with the 3rd league, confirmed this on Saturday: “There are places that are currently worse in the league.”
Virkus doesn’t accept excuses
For Saarbrücken there is a lot of prestige at stake on Tuesday evening. Both for the footballers who can earn a semi-final home game against arch-rivals 1. FC Kaiserslautern with another coup. As well as for the club and the city, who do not want to embarrass themselves again in front of a TV audience of millions after the incidents in February.
Mayor Uwe Conradt regretted the cancellation: “We can only apologize to the clubs and the fans of both teams as well as to everyone who was in action on today’s match day for the inconvenience.” We now have to “eliminate planning deficits” and “solve the lawn problem”.
As long as the pitch holds up and the game can be played as scheduled, both teams will have a rare opportunity. In the following duel with second division relegation candidate Kaiserslautern, the chances of reaching the final in Berlin are very good – especially for Bundesliga club Mönchengladbach. “As a first division team you go to a third division team: there are no excuses. You have to win the game. And the boys want that too,” said sports director Roland Virkus.
