31 first-round ties have already been played in the DFB-Pokal and the draw for the second round will take place on Sunday, 8th November. The final spot for that draw will be sealed on Tuesday (16:30 CET), as 1. FC Schweinfurt take on FC Schalke 04. The Bavarian fourth-tier side will be facing S04 for the second time in three years in the Pokal. It will be the third time that Schweinfurt’s top goalscorer Adam Jabiri (36) will take on the Royal Blues. He spoke to dfb.de about their chances and the game itself.
DFB.de: Adam Jabiri, you have a bit of history with Schalke…
Adam Jabiri: I don’t have the best memories…I’ve lost both times against Schalke. The first game was now ten years ago with TSG Hoffenheim. Although we lost 1-0, I still look back on that fondly as it was my first Bundesliga appearance.
DFB.de: And what are your memories from the Pokal match against them two years ago?
Jabiri: We gave a good account of ourselves despite losing 2-0. Unfortunately, I helped them win by scoring an own goal to make it 2-0, which didn’t make it one of my best days.
DFB.de: That game was played in front of a full house in Schweinfurt with 15,000 fans, whereas this game now will be at an empty Schalke arena. As the underdog, do you think you are losing a bit of the Pokal experience?
Jabiri: It’s a real shame because that’s what the DFB-Pokal lives off. These David vs. Goliath matches in small stadiums, where the smaller team’s fans can experience the match of the season or even the decade for them. Another home game in our sold-out stadium would have been a real highlight, but we can’t change what’s going on. No fans are allowed because of corona and we switched the tie to be played at Schalke. I hope that things right now don’t become the norm and we can play in front of fans again soon.
DFB.de: There was also this toing and froing to see which side from Bavaria would face Schalke. Has this uncertainty had an impact on the team?
Jabiri: Not really! We followed the situation at a distance as we know we couldn’t influence it and we also have enough Regionalliga games to concentrate on.
DFB.de: What do you think your chances are against Schalke?
Jabiri: Regardless of their position in the table, they are still a Bundesliga side, so we will still be the underdogs and we need them to have a really bad day for us to succeed.
DFB.de: Have you watched any of their recent games, for example the 1-1 draw vs. Stuttgart on Friday night?
Jabiri: Of course, I’ve watched a few of their recent matches, including the Stuttgart one, so that I can prepare for the game as well as I can. We can’t compare ourselves to a team like Stuttgart though and have to bring our own qualities onto the pitch so that we can try and take the small chance we have of progressing.
DFB.de: The Schalke defence doesn’t exactly look too tricky to face right now, having conceded 20 goals already this season…
Jabiri: They are still a side that are three leagues above us though. That being the case, I won’t be going into the game thinking that I will be invited to score goals. We will have to fight for every small thing against Schalke and then we will see what comes from it in the end.
[mmc/dr]
31 first-round ties have already been played in the DFB-Pokal and the draw for the second round will take place on Sunday, 8th November. The final spot for that draw will be sealed on Tuesday (16:30 CET), as 1. FC Schweinfurt take on FC Schalke 04. The Bavarian fourth-tier side will be facing S04 for the second time in three years in the Pokal. It will be the third time that Schweinfurt’s top goalscorer Adam Jabiri (36) will take on the Royal Blues. He spoke to dfb.de about their chances and the game itself.
DFB.de: Adam Jabiri, you have a bit of history with Schalke…
Adam Jabiri: I don’t have the best memories…I’ve lost both times against Schalke. The first game was now ten years ago with TSG Hoffenheim. Although we lost 1-0, I still look back on that fondly as it was my first Bundesliga appearance.
DFB.de: And what are your memories from the Pokal match against them two years ago?
Jabiri: We gave a good account of ourselves despite losing 2-0. Unfortunately, I helped them win by scoring an own goal to make it 2-0, which didn’t make it one of my best days.
DFB.de: That game was played in front of a full house in Schweinfurt with 15,000 fans, whereas this game now will be at an empty Schalke arena. As the underdog, do you think you are losing a bit of the Pokal experience?
Jabiri: It’s a real shame because that’s what the DFB-Pokal lives off. These David vs. Goliath matches in small stadiums, where the smaller team’s fans can experience the match of the season or even the decade for them. Another home game in our sold-out stadium would have been a real highlight, but we can’t change what’s going on. No fans are allowed because of corona and we switched the tie to be played at Schalke. I hope that things right now don’t become the norm and we can play in front of fans again soon.
DFB.de: There was also this toing and froing to see which side from Bavaria would face Schalke. Has this uncertainty had an impact on the team?
Jabiri: Not really! We followed the situation at a distance as we know we couldn’t influence it and we also have enough Regionalliga games to concentrate on.
DFB.de: What do you think your chances are against Schalke?
Jabiri: Regardless of their position in the table, they are still a Bundesliga side, so we will still be the underdogs and we need them to have a really bad day for us to succeed.
DFB.de: Have you watched any of their recent games, for example the 1-1 draw vs. Stuttgart on Friday night?
Jabiri: Of course, I’ve watched a few of their recent matches, including the Stuttgart one, so that I can prepare for the game as well as I can. We can’t compare ourselves to a team like Stuttgart though and have to bring our own qualities onto the pitch so that we can try and take the small chance we have of progressing.
DFB.de: The Schalke defence doesn’t exactly look too tricky to face right now, having conceded 20 goals already this season…
Jabiri: They are still a side that are three leagues above us though. That being the case, I won’t be going into the game thinking that I will be invited to score goals. We will have to fight for every small thing against Schalke and then we will see what comes from it in the end.
