Handball – the list of injuries is long: a decimated St.Otmar competes in Kriens

The St.Gallen NLA handball players will be playing at Kriens-Luzern on Saturday. Some top performers are absent.

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Otmars’ injured list has grown since Sunday’s game against Pfadi Winterthur. Captain Tobias Wetzel and defensive specialist Frédéric Wüstner are joined by goalie Aurel Bringolf, circle runner Simon Bamert and backcourt players Filip Maros and Rares Jurca.

At least for Jurca and Maros, a mission in Kriens seems to be possible, but priority is given to the playoff, which starts in a month or so. “It would be nice if we then had all the players on board,” says coach Zoltan Cordas. Circular runner Wüstner is struggling with a persistent concussion. The Austrian failed for the first time on October 7th. He played the last game on December 19. “During the last inspection almost three weeks ago, he again received no approval,” says Cordas. Captain Wetzel is struggling with an inflammation in the groin area that radiates to the back. Even with him, the duration of the downtime is uncertain.

Noah Haas thrown into the deep end

Bamert, on the other hand, has already had an operation on his shoulder, who is likely to be out for the rest of the season. Benjamin Geisser is the only remaining trained cyclist in the St.Otmars squad. Otherwise, the selection for coach Cordas is limited. “I can’t make a lot of mistakes in the line-up,” he says.

In the inner block recently, surprisingly, Noah Haas acted alongside Max Höning. “The boy has not played in defense often in his life,” says Cordas, who is satisfied with the attitude of the 22-year-old two-meter man. He is willing to learn and is passionate about it.

Kriens-Luzern should go a high pace in the home game on Saturday. This is exactly what the decimated St.Gallers must try to prevent.