The Foals’ DFB-Pokal quarter-final at Saarbrücken was called off due to an unplayable pitch. A rescheduled date is yet to be confirmed. In the meantime, the Foals’ attention turns to their home game against SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday (15:30 CET).
No one had imagined the trip to Saarbrücken would pan out as it did. Instead of having the opportunity to fight for a place in the semi-finals, the Foals returned home without so much as kicking a ball as the tie was prevented from going ahead. Heavy rain in Saarbrücken left the pitch waterlogged, with the situation not helped by poor drainage at the Ludwigsparkstadion.
Rescheduled date still to be confirmed, draw to take place as planned
Helpers had spent several hours attempting to clear the pitch of as much water as possible, but their efforts proved to be in vain. Referee Florian Badstübner eventually declared the pitch unsuitable for play – a decision communicated to the fans in the stadium mere minutes before the scheduled kick-off time. “There were parts of the pitch where the players were losing their footing and slipping over. It was just too dangerous – the health of the players has to come first,” said Roland Virkus, Borussia’s managing director for sport. Head coach Gerardo Seoane continued: “I feel very sorry for the fans who travelled to the stadium for nothing. But I think everyone in the stadium understands the game couldn’t go ahead in these conditions.”
It remains unclear when the date for the rescheduled game will be confirmed. “We are still coordinating it with the DFB. A date needs to be found that works for both teams. Care has to be taken to ensure the game can then take place under normal circumstances,” explained Virkus. The draw for the semi-finals will still take place this Saturday at the ZDF Sport studio, with a placeholder for the winner of this tie. The other sides already through to the semis are Bayer Leverkusen, Fortuna Düsseldorf and 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
Two training sessions before Darmstadt
For the time being, the Foals’ full focus will be on the task at hand in the Bundesliga. SV Darmstadt will visit BORUSSIA-PARK at 15:30 CET on Saturday. “We need to have a quick turnaround and make use of both days to prepare for the game against Darmstadt,” said Seoane. Thursday’s public training session has been moved forward from 15:00 to 13:30 due to the team’s early return to Mönchengladbach. The final session before the weekend’s game will take place behind closed doors on Friday.
