- Kaiserlautern hopes to be on the safe side against Fürth
Ragnar Ache may make his season debut for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. The striker returned to team training after an Achilles tendon inflammation and could be in the squad for the Pfalzers' first home game on Friday evening (6:30 PM) against SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
"With Ragnar, we're constantly adjusting his workload. We've taken him out of some training sessions this week. So far, he's handled it well," said coach Markus Anfang. "We'll have to see how he's doing in the final training session and then decide if it makes sense to include him in the squad for the game."
The Red Devils are expecting a large crowd at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion for their first home game of the new season. Over 39,000 tickets have already been sold. "I think the team is looking forward to playing at home. Plus, it's an evening game. That's always something special here," said Anfang.
The 50-year-old sees the strengths of their upcoming opponents in their play with the ball. "Both teams will be attacking. Basically, the guys know what they need to do. It's still a process for us. We need to quickly figure out what solution we need against them," said Anfang.
Hendrick Zuck, Kenny Prince Redondo, Frank Ronstadt, and Almamy Touré are still out injured.
Ragnar's progress in handling the adjusted training load might determine if he joins the squad for the "Forth" team's visit to the Fritz-Walter-Stadion. The match against SpVgg Greuther Fürth is scheduled for their first home game of the new season.
Despite missing some key players, including Hendrick Zuck and Almamy Touré, coach Anfang is optimistic about their team's ability to tackle the "Forth" team's attack-oriented strategies.
