Saarbrucken coach eases fears over pitch ahead of DFB Pokal semi-final
Saarbrucken head coach Rudiger Ziehl is confident the pitch for their DFB-Pokal semi-final against Kaiserslautern will be playable after recent fears.
Their quarter-final tie against Borussia Monchengladbach at the Ludwigsparkstadion was postponed before kick-off in February due to rainfall and more recently their game against Rot-Weiss Essen on Easter Sunday was cancelled by the DFB due to concern about the pitch’s playability for the semi-final.
Third-tier Saarbrucken are aiming to continue their incredible run in the competition on Tuesday against Bundesliga 2 side Kaiserslautern and Ziehl insisted the pitch will be ready for the tie.
“If things don’t get extreme, the pitch has a playable surface. Then it will work that we can play. I was surprised that the pitch was in good condition,” said Ziehl in quotes reported by Zeit Online.
“The pitch looked good on Saturday morning, especially the critical areas from the Gladbach game. It was a smart decision to put the tarpaulin on again yesterday.”
Saarbrucken are 11th in the 3 Liga table and have had an extraordinary run in the cup this year, claiming some huge Bundesliga scalps on their way to reaching the final four of the competition.
In the second round they beat reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich 2-1 thanks to Marcel Gaus’ stoppage-time strike before earning a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the following round.
Their rescheduled quarter-final against Monchengladbach saw them snatch victory with another late goal, this time from Kai Brunker in the third minute of added time.
Kaiserslautern’s route to the final four included a 3-2 win against top-flight opponents Cologne in the second round before securing victories over Bundesliga 2 rivals FC Nuremberg and Hertha BSC.
The final takes place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on May 25 and Kaiserslautern boss Friedhelm Funkel admits the competition has been a “great experience”.
“I associate the cup and Berlin with a feeling of happiness,” said Funkel in quotes posted on the official Kaiserslautern X account.
“This is an incredibly great experience. There is a tension, a tingling feeling that is very special. I would like to experience that again, but Saarbrucken also wants to go to Berlin.”
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Manchester United
Man Utd's draw with Brentford 'goes down badly' with Sir Jim Ratcliffe - report
Man Utd limped to a tame 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday
Red Devils guilty of a shocking performance which has been widely criticised
Reports claim new co-owner Ratcliffe left thoroughly unimpressed
By Tom Gott
4:30 PM GMT+1
Ratcliffe was reportedly unimpressed
Ratcliffe was reportedly unimpressed / BERTRAND GUAY/GettyImages
Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday left Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS thoroughly unimpressed, according to a report.
The Red Devils continued their alarming run of conceding shots by gifting Brentford a whopping 31 efforts on Andre Onana's goal while mustering up just 11 strikes of their own at the other end of the field.
Mason Mount struck deep into stoppage time to seemingly complete the ultimate smash-and-grab before Kristoffer Ajer netted in the 99th minute to share the spoils.
According to The Telegraph, this latest performance "did not go down well" with Ratcliffe and those around him at INEOS.
This is the second result this season which has drawn particular disappointment from Ratcliffe, with February's 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Old Trafford also being received poorly by the new co-owner.
Scott McTominay
United battled to an ugly draw / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
Against Fulham, United did at least win the battle when it came to shots on goal - 21 to 17 - but they endured plenty of periods of real pressure and did not score until the 89th minute, only for Alex Iwobi to net deep into stoppage time to seal a win for the Cottagers.
Ratcliffe is expected to make a decision on the future of manager Erik ten Hag before the start of next season and there has been significant speculation that the Dutchman will be given his marching orders.
It was recently reported, however, that Ratcliffe did not want to be the one responsible for deciding Ten Hag's fate, with that task potentially set to be handed to incoming CEO Omar Berrada, who will join United this summer.
England manager Gareth Southgate has been touted as a potential replacement for Ten Hag, who stressed at the weekend that he "does not care" about the speculation.
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FC Barcelona
Barcelona abandon Estevao transfer because of Lamine Yamal - report
Barcelona could drop out of the race to sign 16-year-old Palmeiras winger Estevao
Chelsea seen as main suitors for teenager nicknamed Messinho
Palmeiras prepared to demand his €60m release clause be paid
By Tom Gott
3:30 PM GMT+1
Estevao is one of South America's hottest prospects
Estevao is one of South America's hottest prospects / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages
Barcelona are reported to have abandoned their pursuit of 16-year-old Palmeiras winger Estevao, leaving Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain as the main suitors for the teenage sensation.
Estevao, who has been nicknamed 'Messinho' despite admitting he does not like such a name, is widely seen as the next superstar emerging from South America, with Chelsea, PSG and Barcelona battling for his signature over the past few months.
The teenager has openly confessed his desire to join Barcelona, but according to SPORT, Estevao may have to find a move elsewhere as Barca have decided against making a move for the winger.
Barcelona are reluctant to bring in another 16-year-old right winger when they already have Lamine Yamal, who is three months younger than Estevao and already shining for Xavi's senior squad.
By putting their faith in Yamal, Barcelona have turned down the chance to move for Estevao, leaving Chelsea and PSG alone to fight for a deal.
Lamine Yamal
Barcelona are putting their faith in Yamal / Jonathan Moscrop/GettyImages
Further fuelling Barcelona's decision is the fact that Palmeiras are said to be demanding Estevao's release clause of €60m (£51m) be triggered in full - something Barca simply cannot afford to do in their current state.
Even if that sort of money could be raised through player sales, Barcelona officials do not believe it would be wise to spend so much on a player coming through in the same position as Yamal when there are other holes in the squad that need to be filled.
PSG previously failed with a double bid to sign both Estevao and Endrick before the latter agreed to join Real Madrid and could reignite their interest in the former now that Kylian Mbappe is set to depart this summer.
As for Chelsea, who were recently revealed to have hesitated when asked to trigger Endrick's €60m clause, the Blues may have to raise their own funds this summer before making such an expensive move for a player who cannot move to Europe until the summer of 2025.
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