The cup quarter-final between third division club 1. FC Saarbrücken and Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach will definitely take place on Tuesday evening (8.30 p.m./live ticker at sportschau.de). According to FCS, this is the result of a field inspection by referee Robert Hartmann (Wangen) with representatives of the club and the city.
“The pitch is absolutely fully playable. There is no longer any tarpaulin on it. This evening before the game there will be the usual inspection, but there will be play,” said Saarbrücken’s press spokesman Peter Müller to Saarländischer Rundfunk.
Players leave the field in Saarbrücken on February 7th
The game against Aue went smoothly
On Monday, representatives from the DFB, 1. FC Saarbrücken and the city checked the condition of the pitch. “The pitch coped well with the unexpectedly large amount of rain last night. The pitch is currently playable,” said a statement from the city early on Monday evening.
At the weekend, the FCS defeated FC Erzgebirge Aue 2-0 at home in the 3rd league. Saarbrücken’s coach Rüdiger Ziehl said on Monday that the conditions were not ideal, “but the way the pitch looked on Saturday and the way it looks now, I firmly believe that we will play.”
On February 7th, the game against Mönchengladbach was canceled at short notice because constant rain had made the pitch unplayable. The decision to cancel the game was made seven minutes before kick-off. The fans had long been in the stadium. “The pitch is in a disastrous condition,” said the referee appointed at the time, Florian Badstübner.
The DFB could hardly have afforded another cancellation, especially in terms of time. The international match window begins on March 18th and ends on March 26th. The semi-finals are scheduled to take place on April 2nd and 3rd – with the winner of the game in Saarbrücken.
Basic problem in Saarbrücken: The water cannot drain away
Saarbrücken has a structural problem in Ludwigspark. There is no drainage on the grass in the stadium. However, this construction measure is important because the drainage diverts large amounts of water from the lawn – so the playing field should remain playable even when it rains.
Background: Ludwigspark was rebuilt in 2020. But the costs for this kept rising. As a result, savings were made on the drainage, which is very important for game operations. It will not be until the summer of 2024 that the defect will finally be remedied and the base of the lawn will be rebuilt.
Lawn in “good condition for the season”
The pitch was replaced after the game against Mönchengladbach was cancelled. A few places had to be improved after the change. According to the city of Saarbrücken, only 100 of a total of 8,000 square meters were affected. “The maintenance work since the Bielefeld game has had the desired effect. The pitch has developed well and is in good condition for the time of year,” said the city administration.
The situation remains a major nuisance for the third division club Saarbrücken. Because the Ludwigspark is actually supposed to stand for something different: the stadium has already delivered two unforgettable evenings this season with the victories against Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt. The FCS wants to let another one follow.