Karlsruhe/Sandhausen (dpa/lsw) - Central defender Marcel Franke from the second division soccer club Karlsruher SC is ready for action again after his stem cell donation. Coach Christian Eichner is planning again with the 29-year-old for the second round game in the DFB Cup on Wednesday (6 p.m. / Sky) at league rivals SV Sandhausen. "He will not only be in the squad, he will be on the field on Wednesday evening," confirmed the KSC coach on Tuesday. Franke missed the 2-1 draw against SV Darmstadt 98 on Saturday because he had donated stem cells on Thursday.
Eichner can also draw from the full in other respects. 25 players were on the field at the first training session of the week. "There were one or two ailments, but we managed to get them under control," he said.
In Sandhausen, the former assistant coach Eichner meets his former boss at KSC, Alois Schwartz. "He has clear principles and a clear style of play," said the former Bundesliga defender. According to Eichner, like Sandhausen, the team must also show fighting qualities. "Because only if we do that will we have a chance of keeping our ball in the pot," said the coach.
In the meantime, the KSC and its fans have completely used up the official contingent of 2200 tickets. In security circles it is expected that at least twice as many people from Karlsruhe will make their way to Sandhausen, which is only around 45 kilometers away.
