Overview
- Definitively out are Thore Jacobsen (suspension), Max Christiansen (hip surgery), Tunay Deniz (ACL), Sigurd Haugen (jaw), Jesper Verlaat (calf), Manuel Pfeifer and Sean Dulic (muscle injuries).
- Further concerns persist over goalkeeper Thomas Dähne (ill), Florian Niederlechner (training individually, participation unlikely), and the managed workloads of Maximilian Wolfram, Philipp Maier and Raphael Schifferl.
- The reduced squad trained on Tuesday with a rump group as eleven first-team players missed the session.
- Kickoff is Saturday, 17 January at 14:00 local time, the game is live on Magenta Sport, and the stadium is sold out at roughly 15,000 spectators including about 1,500 from Essen.
- Coach Markus Kauczinski insists the team will keep pushing near the top of the table, while CEO Manfred Paula says the club does not plan winter signings but will reassess weekly.