1. FC Nürnberg has a lot of self-confidence after two clean sheets. Against Hannover 96 the "club" wants to continue its winning streak. The two coaches know each other very well.
Nuremberg (dpa / lby) - The last direct duel between Markus Weinzierl and Stefan Leitl on the sidelines was canceled. Due to a corona infection, Leitl was absent on the last day of the Bundesliga season in FC Augsburg's 2-1 win against Greuther Fürth. Weinzierl announced his departure in Augsburg after this game in mid-May, Leitl had previously announced his departure from the Franconian relegated team in the direction of Hannover 96.
Weinzierl has only been the coach of 1. FC Nürnberg for a few weeks. And the "Club" now welcomes Hanover on Saturday (1 p.m. / Sky). "We know each other. I appreciate him very much, he's a good guy," said Weinzierl on Friday about Leitl. At the end of the 1990s, both had also played together for the second team of FC Bayern Munich.
But that's history. The Nuremberg expect the Lower Saxony with a lot of self-confidence. A 1-0 win at Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2nd Bundesliga last Saturday was followed by a 1-0 win against Waldhof Mannheim on Tuesday to qualify for the round of 16 of the DFB Cup.
"If the first two games are successful, it's easier to regenerate," Weinzierl remarked before the duel with the promotion candidate. "We hope that we're fresh, that we can put in a fight and pick up where we left off in Mannheim."
Hannover was also in strong form during the week. The 0: 2 on Wednesday in the DFB Cup against Champions League starters Borussia Dortmund rated the Nuremberg coach rightly as a "super game".
After the separation from predecessor Robert Klauß, Weinzierl gave his own team "defensive stability" and a pinch of "joy of the game". Hannover is now a complicated touchstone. "It's a team that wants to go up," Weinzierl warned of the 96ers and recognized an "upward trend" in them.
Weinzierl can also plan again with striker Felix Lohkemper. The 27-year-old is available to the "Club" again after an infection.
