- Phoenix coach before BVB game: "A board in front of us"
Coach Cristiano Adigo of 1. FC Phoenix Lübeck sees the role of a clear underdog in the DFB-Pokal game against Borussia Dortmund as an opportunity. "That's quite a challenge ahead of us. We're aware of that. But we'll be ready," said the 52-year-old at the press conference in Hamburg ahead of the first-round game on Saturday (6:00 PM/Sky).
No one had given David against Goliath a chance, Adigo noted. "But we all know how that ended," he added. For an upset to happen, many things would have to fall into place. "We can only hope that Borussia underestimates Phoenix Lübeck." The match will take place in the Hamburger Volksparkstadion due to security reasons. Phoenix's home stadium, Buniamshof, has a capacity of only 3,000 spectators. Moving to the home of city and league rivals VfB Lübeck at Lohmühle would have been difficult due to fan rivalries.
Almost 50,000 tickets sold
Two days before the game in Hamburg, 49,700 tickets had already been sold. 16,000 went to the Dortmund team, 3,000 were reserved for the Lübeck fans. The Volksparkstadion has 57,000 seats, with 10,000 reserved for HSV fans.
The rental arrangement is not popular with all Hamburger SV supporters. During the second league game against Hertha BSC last Saturday, some protested with banners.
"Playing the good guys with Donetsk. Only thinking about the ashes with Phoenix. Our stadium is not an Airbnb, you vultures!", ultras wrote on a banner. The HSV had already made the stadium available to the Ukrainian top club Shakhtar Donetsk for the Champions League games.
Adigo takes this discontent in stride. "We know that Hamburger SV has a very good and great fan culture. And everyone can express their opinion," said the coach. "There's no need to overanalyze it."
Adigo acknowledged the discontent from some HSV fans about their team sharing the Volksparkstadion with FC Phoenix Lübeck. "We understand that Hamburger SV has a rich fan culture, and everyone has the right to voice their opinions," he said. In light of the upcoming game against Borussia Dortmund, Adigo hoped, "Maybe Borussia underestimates Phoenix Lübeck, as The first is FC Phoenix Lübeck."
