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Kiel (dpa / lno) - Before the quarter-finals in the DFB Cup on Wednesday (6.30 p.m. / Sky), coach Ole Werner feels neither the burden of the favorite nor the fear of embarrassment.
In order to reach the semi-finals against the regional division Rot-Weiss Essen, the footballers from the second division Holstein Kiel would have to bring “a top performance”, said the coach of the “storks” on Monday.
Essen is still a big name, and the club has "undisputed qualities for more than fourth division".
Against the hosting outsider, who had thrown Arminia Bielefeld, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer Leverkusen out of the race in the previous rounds, the second league table wants to achieve something historical: Holstein has never been in the semi-finals of the cup.
The last highlight was the quarter-finals in February 2012. Against the eventual cup winners Borussia Dortmund there was a 4-0 win in the Holstein Stadium.
In order to get into the top four teams, it doesn't matter «whether it takes 90 or 120 minutes or a few shots longer», said Werner, referring to the victories on penalties against Darmstadt 98 and Bayern Munich.
The “storks” are looking good in terms of personnel.
Only Stefan Thesker (tear of the Achilles tendon) and the long-term injured Noah Awuku (tear of the Achilles tendon) are out.
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Striker Janni Serra could be an option for the starting XI.
"We assume that it will last for more than 30 minutes," said Werner about the 22-year-old, who made his comeback in the 1-0 win over Erzgebirge Aue last Saturday after tearing a hamstring.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210301-99-642484 / 3
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