When AB Gladsaxe starts the start after the winter break in the 2nd division, it will be against the league’s absolute top team. It can hardly be a more difficult start for AB than when the team travels to Blue Water Arena on Sunday 10 March, where Esbjerg fB will welcome at 14.00.
Head coach David Roufpanah gives these words on the first game of the very important games in the regular season: “It’s great that we are going to start the spring season. We are as ready as we can be. Of course, it is the first game and also the first game for this squad with the new players. So it will be exciting. We certainly have a good feeling and are really well prepared. Esbjerg is a really strong team. We know how they play. The things they are good at, they are really good at. They are strong offensively and they also defend very well. We have looked at that and prepared for that and have a good game plan for the match. We go to Esbjerg to pick up points. Of course, it is difficult to know in advance how the match will develop. It is a good team we are going to face, but we have prepared as best as possible. So we are happy to take home 3 points”.
During the winter break, AB has stabilized the squad with an influx of players, and it will be exciting to see where AB stands after a long winter training.
AB goes to West Jutland after four training matches and has two victories under their belt. The two most recent victories were against Österlen FF and BK Olympic from Malmö. Not least in the match against BK Olympic, AB played really good football at times with lots of energy and nice combination play at a high pace. AB Gladsaxe has been training on grass during the week to get used to the pitch in the Blue Water Arena. Esbjerg fB drew 1-1 in their last friendly match against Raufoss FK at their training camp in Turkey. In the first meeting of the two teams at the beginning of September, there was a 3-0 victory for Esbjerg fB at Gladsaxe Stadium. Neither of the two teams has players in quarantine.
The referee of the match is Nanna Løf Mørch Andersen.
After today’s training, Rasmus Brodersen says: “We have waited a long time to get started, so we are looking forward to the game tomorrow. We have had a good preseason and we feel ready to go over to Esbjerg. It’s always exciting to see where we stand here for the first game. We go to Esbjerg and are ready to tease them. We have trained some different things in our training matches, and we have to implement them here from the start of the season. Physically, we are in the best shape we can be and we are sharp – so it is really just beyond the steppes”.
Captain Daniel A. Pedersen is also looking forward to the match: “It will be great to get into the game. That’s what we look forward to when we show up after the holidays. It’s not as fun to play friendly matches, so it will be great that we have to play for points again. We are really looking forward to it, and it is a great match we start with, so we are top fired up. Obviously, it’s a tough outlay, because Esbjerg is a good team. But we have to meet them, so we might as well do that now. If we get off to a good start, then it’s a really good team to beat and a good starting point for the later games. Of course, we come over there to get 3 points, and even though it is a good team, we also have faith in our own abilities. There are probably no teams that currently know 100% where they stand. You only find out when you get started with the season. We have had a good start – now we just want to get started again”.
The following players are in the match:
16 Albert Gaub-Jacobsen (goalkeeper)
3 Erik Lindell
4 Adrien Koudelka
5 Rasmus Brodersen
6 Daniel A. Pedersen
8 Darren Sidoel
10 Tim Freriks
11 Flamur Dzelili
15 Søren Ilsøe
17 Yushi Yamaya
19 Christian Wagner
22 Ágúst Hlynsson
24 Mark Garly Pedersen
30 Julius Lind
40 Hard Askham
88 O’Vonte Mullings
97 Ahmed Hassan
99 Jesper Sørensen (goalkeeper)
