The reds under pressure. After seven games without a win, a success must be achieved in Karlsruhe on Saturday. For Marcus Mann (37) this is not the only reason why it is a special game.

The 96 sports director meets his brother-in-law in the wildlife park. Christian Eichner (38) has been the head coach at KSC since February 2020 – and has been married to Mann’s sister Monja since 2011.

Man to BILD: “I played together with Christian in Karlsruhe with the amateurs and later with the professionals. That’s where he and my sister met. “

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A good choice, thinks the sports director and laughs: “Christian is a more than sensible and decent man, whom I didn’t have to veto.”

Family duel in the basement.

96 urgently needs points in order not to lose touch with midfield. Karlsruhe only got two points from the last four league games, only four points ahead of 96th and 16th place (Kiel). Most recently there was only a 1: 1 at the bottom of the pack, Ingolstadt.

Man against Eichner – for the brothers-in-law is the second meeting. The first man to win in 2020 in the cup with Saarbrücken against Karlsruhe (5: 3 nE). It was Eichner’s first game. He was allowed to stay anyway and has now extended to 2025.

Man: “I am also in the lead and I hope that I will also be ahead in the second division.”

He cannot hope for family support. Not through brother-in-law Eichner anyway, but Monja is also clearly on the Karlsruhe side. “My sister is keeping her fingers crossed for KSC,” says Mann.

As in the half against Düsseldorf (1: 1) and against Paderborn (0: 0), he will follow the game from the second bench.

Then he is closer to his brother-in-law – but above all to his own coach Jan Zimmermann (42) and his own team.

“To take a step forward, we need a threesome,” emphasizes Mann. The reds finally have to die in Karlsruhe. Regardless of family!