Thursday, November 4th, 2021
European Cup on RTL and on RTL +
Worry about rioting and fighting over important points
In the evening there are trend-setting games for the German representatives in the Europa League and European Conference League: for some, it’s about getting ahead, for others it’s about survival in sport. And then there is the great fear of rioting.
When Union Berlin receives Feyenoord Rotterdam tonight (9 p.m. / live on RTL +), then the memories of the incidents around the first leg are still fresh: In Rotterdam, violent criminals attacked parts of the Union’s executive board, the club and the fan scene complained about an inappropriate police operation and hundreds of Bundesliga supporters were only allowed into the stadium long after the kick-off. More than 5000 fans from the Netherlands are expected for the second leg, the mood in the city is nervous, more than 70 football fans were arrested the night before the game. Around 2000 police officers are on duty around the game.
In terms of sport, Union is under pressure in Group E. The team is currently bottom of the table with three points. Union coach Urs Fischer: “We know that it is an important game. We can read the table. The team knows that a win would help. It’s in your head. It’s about doing it better than you are First leg. “
Eintracht Frankfurt is also expecting a “heated game” according to defender Erik Durm at Olympiacos (6.45pm / live on RTL +). “That’s why we all started playing football. The anticipation has been huge all week. We are prepared for a heated game and a hot atmosphere, there will be a lot of noise from the stands,” said Durm. For Frankfurt, the game in Greece is a match point game: “Our approach is to win every game in the Europa League. If we win in Piraeus, we will definitely be among the top two places,” said coach Oliver Glasner. However, the Hessians have to solve the task without Filip Kostic: The left wing is missing.
Bayer Leverkusen has achieved a similarly comfortable starting position: With a win, the qualification for the knockout round is not yet perfect, but within reach. “We concentrate on our performance and don’t count. Of course, our goal is to defend the top of the table. We have analyzed the last few games and found ways to improve our performance,” said Seoane on Wednesday: “We are looking forward to the game . We are competition types, that’s what we live for. ” The Swiss had a lot to do with the analysis, because Leverkusen is in a real crisis: The violent 1: 5 swatter against record champions Bayern Munich was followed by two lost wins at Betis Sevilla (1: 1) and the derby in Cologne (2 : 2). After losing the cup against second division club Karlsruher SC (1: 2), the Werkself suffered a home defeat against VfL Wolfsburg (0: 2). In the final for the group victory against Betis (9 p.m. / RTL and on RTL +), a sense of achievement should and must finally be achieved again.