- FC Ingolstadt wants to surprise Lautern as an "underdog"
FC Ingolstadt is banking on the underdog chance in its opening duel in the DFB Cup against last season's finalist. "We'd like to, even though we're the underdog, advance to the next round," coach Sabrina Wittmann said ahead of Saturday's home match (3:30 PM) against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
Last season, Kaiserslautern, under then-coach Friedhelm Funkel, sensationally reached the final, losing to champions Bayer Leverkusen (0:1) in a close match. "I hope for a tight game," said Wittmann, who was promoted from an interim solution to head coach at the Ingolstadt third-division side this summer.
Wittmann changes goalkeeper
After the 1:2 loss last weekend against SpVgg Unterhaching, Wittmann expects a completely different game in the DFB Cup. Kaiserslautern will have the ball and aim to be dominant. "They will demand everything from us." Kaiserslautern and the Betzenberg stand for "a lot of power, a lot of noise, a lot of tradition," she said.
Against the team of new coach Markus Anfang, Wittmann will make a change in goal. Albanian backup Simon Simoni will start in place of Marius Funk, the Ingolstadt coach announced. "That was agreed beforehand."
Wittmann mentioned that Kaiserslautern, known for its rich tradition and passionate support in Bavaria's Betzenberg, will pose a significant challenge due to their strong play and fan atmosphere. In preparation for this challenge, Wittmann has decided to make a change in the goalkeeper position, with Albanian backup Simon Simoni replacing Marius Funk for the DFB Cup match.
