Thursday’s match against West Ham will be a special one for SC, not just because of the fact that it will be the club’s first ever competitive game against an English side.
Due to a UEFA ban, the visitors from London are not allowed to bring any fans to the game, meaning the game will be played in front of 34,200 SC supporters. “It’s a shame that no English fans will be there, but it’s ultimately better for us,” said Vincenzo Grifo at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday alongside Christian Streich.
Chicco Höfler, currently serving a suspension in the Bundesliga, is available to play against the team currently sat seventh in the Premier League. Yannick Keitel (adductor problems) and Michael Gregoritsch (calf) may miss the game.
The reigning Conference League winners can boast a number of stars in their squad, such as Germany international Thilo Kehrer. “They have some real quality,” praised Streich. “Some of their players on their bench cost them 30 or 40 million.”
Clever defending needed against quick attackers
The quality of West Ham and English football in general was something discussed in great length at the press conference. “There’s no doubt about the high standard of Premier League games. This will be a huge test for us, but I’m excited to test ourselves against an established Premier League side,” commented Streich. Both the coach and Grifo regularly repeated the fact that they will need to be smart in defence, stick together and not sit back too much against a side full of quick players.
SC’s defensive play has been exemplary over the last two games, with goalkeeper Noah Atubolu keeping a clean sheet against both Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg. “We managed to defend really well against both teams,” stated Streich. “Augsburg was an extremely important game for us. I’m confident that we will better on the ball tomorrow.”
“We fought hard to qualify for the Europa League and are excited to take on such a big club,” said Grifo. SC are ready for their next big European night with more home fans than ever before set to be in attendance at the Europa-Park Stadion.
Photo: Achim Keller