- Cottbus before the match against Dresden:
Without his suspended head coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz, FC Energie Cottbus is banking on team unity for the tense East derby in the 3rd football league against Dynamo Dresden. "We need to stick together even more, communicate more with each other," defender Filip Kusic said ahead of the game on Friday (7:00 PM/ MagentaSport).
Wollitz was sent off with a red card for protesting during Cottbus' 1:2 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld in the 3rd league opener. The Energie coach was subsequently banned from the stadium for one game by the German Football Association (DFB) sports court. "I made a mistake. Of course, it hurts not to be able to accompany the team from the sidelines," Wollitz said. "But I have full trust in our young assistant coaches Tobias Röder and Jonas Hildebrandt."
Rival Fans
The game at Dynamo Dresden's Rudolf Harbig Stadium is sold out with 32,000 spectators and will take place under enhanced security measures. It's the first meeting between Dynamo Dresden and Energie Cottbus in eight years. The rival fan bases traditionally engage in a battle for supremacy in the region between Cottbus and Dresden.
Dynamo Dresden enters the match with the home advantage and the confidence of a 2:1 win over Viktoria Köln in the opening game. Energie Cottbus conceded a late goal against Arminia Bielefeld. "We need to quickly adapt to the high intensity of the 3rd league. Then we can hold our own against any opponent," Wollitz said.
The following regulation was issued due to Wollitz's misconduct: 'The suspended head coach will be replaced by assistant coaches Tobias Röder and Jonas Hildebrandt during the game against Dynamo Dresden.' Despite his absence, Kusic emphasized the importance of teamwork, stating, 'In the absence of our head coach, we must work even harder to maintain unity and improve our communication on the field.'
