Sport24.az
After the recent test match against "Roma", Kayzerslautern's CEO Thomas Hengen spoke to the German media about the team's preparation and future plans. Sport24.az reports that "Kayzerslautern", which includes Azerbaijani footballer Mahir Emreli in its squad, lost 0:1 to a strong opponent in front of 35,650 fans.
The only goal of the match was scored in the 16th minute by "Roma's" Irish striker Evan Ferguson after a mistake by goalkeeper Yulian Kral.
In addition to Mahir Emreli, who was substituted at halftime, other new signings of the team - Simon Asta, Maksvel Gyamfi, Fabian Kunze and Semih Şahin - also started the game in the starting lineup. Defender Ji-Soo Kim and striker Ivan Prtajin, who are also new, entered the field at the beginning of the second half.
After the match, Tomas Hengen told SWR channel: "It was a good test for us. We achieved significant results. It will be interesting to see how we perform in the first round."
"Kayzerslautern" will start the new season in the II Bundesliga this Sunday, August 3, with an away game against "Hannover". The team's starting lineup is highly anticipated. Hengen emphasized that there is healthy competition within the team, noting:
"There is a good competitive environment. Our goal is to be in the top 6 in the league table."
Touching upon the transfer policy, the club manager said that the squad is not yet fully formed: "The squad is not yet finalized. The transfer window is open and anything is possible - we don't know exactly who will come or go."
He added that they will evaluate the current situation after the first official matches and can make changes if needed: "We are very satisfied with what we have seen so far, but we will make certain adjustments if necessary."
Hengen avoided giving specific information about which positions might be changed and emphasized the strong competition within the team: "There will be difficult choices. We have two players in almost all positions. Therefore, we do not want to disclose the details."
