We Are Your Friends

By: Abby | December 12th, 2008

It’s the last game before the winter break and the conclusion of what’s been a pretty neat Hinrunde for us. Fourth on thirty points, with wins over all but one of the top five. And we’ve got one more game to make it our best.

Our opponents are our Fanfreundschaft partners, Karlsruher SC. (Here’s my backround post from last year if you’re interested.) Last season at this time, after promotion, they were propelling themselves up the league. This season, it’s not quite the same. With 13 points, they’re only a point away from the drop zone, after having lost some of their better players in the summer.

That doesn’t mean they’re pushovers by any means, and are bound to be in good confidence after last week’s home win over Werder Bremen. Granted, Bremen’s away form is awful, but it’s still worth mentioning.

It’s important to win this game, I feel. After two losses in a row, I want us to go out on a high before the break. I want us to continue on in our good form in the Rückrunde, and while winning (or losing) the last game doesn’t guarantee anything, it’s certainly better. It would be a psychological boost as well before the ‘cup final’ with Olympiakos next Thursday. A good win tomorrow could set us up well for Athens.

News ahead of the game is that Josip Simunic has a calf strain and could be out for a while, even until after the break. It’s a blow, certainly. The big Croatian, after seemingly being on his way out over the summer, has been in great form for us. Steve von Bergen is set to start instead, and as much as I like the Swiss, he’s not been nearly as impressive. (He’s also being bandied about as a transfer candidate in the winter window.)

The other story is, as always, Marko Pantelic. Reports are swirling that it could be Marko’s last home game. There’s still talk that he’ll go to England. And with concerns about our finances, both the transfer fee and the removal of his salary might be welcomed.

There’s also that Junior Cesar transfer to discuss. Lulu sounds less than enthused about it, which worries me. New players are nice, but I’d agree that keeping Kacar is more important…