Gladbach stars ‘calm’ ahead of silent Rhine derby
Borussia Monchengladbach coach Marco Rose has backed his men to cope with playing behind closed doors in Wednesday’s clash with FC Koln.
The coronavirus situation means that there will be no fans at Borussia-Park when Die Fohlen entertain Markus Gisdol’s side in midweek.
It is a vital match for the hosts, with Gladbach still pushing for a Champions League spot and able to move into the top four at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen with all three points.
Koln are safely in mid-table, with neither European ambitions nor relegation danger to think about heading into the contest.
The Rhine derby between Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Cologne becomes the first #Bundesliga match to be played behind closed doors due to #CoronavirusOutbreak https://t.co/fVcMQfQ1On
— News18 Sports (@News18Sports) March 10, 2020
There is much more at stake for the home side and Rose has made it clear that his charges will be well drilled for the unusual experience of playing in an empty stadium.
“We are trying to stay as calm as possible about it. In this situation, we have to do whatever we can to protect our health,” he said. “Nevertheless, we are still preparing for the derby. We will talk about it before the game and prepare ourselves for it.”
High-profile sporting events around the world are being cancelled due to the spread of the virus, with Manchester City’s home game against Arsenal postponed on Wednesday.
It remains to be seen how the Bundesliga authorities react in the coming days and weeks but, for now, players will have to cope with what has been thrown at them.
Rose made it clear his side will “do everything we can to win” as they look to bounce back from a 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund last time out.
