After racking up their seventh win in nine home matches against Nürnberg, securing the best home record of the first half of the season in front of the massed ranks of fans at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Tim Walter’s men will now be looking for another three points, this time away to Darmstadt.
“We’ve learnt our lessons recently away from home and we’re looking to put things right. We need continuity, stability and consistency in our performances,” the head coach said, conscious of the fact that the last three home wins have been followed by away defeats. "Same again on Monday against Darmstadt, it’ll be all about consistency,” Walter resumed.
The kind of consistency the coach wants to see has been exemplified by Wataru Endo, who made his debut in the starting line-up in the derby win against Karlsruhe. “He’s been playing at a solid level for three weeks now. He knows precisely what he’s got to do and he gives us exactly what we need out on the pitch, so I’m really pleased with Wataru because he gives our play the balance it requires,” said Walter, who also had praise for Mario Gomez. “Mario has confidence in his own abilities and the assurance that he can now score the kind of goals that he puts away in training when he gets into a matchday situation.”
This will be the last match that Marc Oliver Kempf has to sit out due to his suspension, but Daniel Didavi available again. Gregor Kobel was also back in full training this week after his injury, but whether the 22-year-old Swiss keeper is back between the sticks on Monday night at the expense of Fabian Bredlow remains to be seen and will depend on how the final training session goes before the match.