In what has been a difficult period for Konrad Fünfstuck, following promising early form as Kaiserslautern boss, the Red Devils boss seems set to have a near fully fit first-team squad available to him in after the international break.
Plenty of key Kaiserslautern players have been missing
Despite a great start to life in job, it had been tough going up until Sunday's surprise 2-0 win away at RB Leipzig. This came after a run of four straight defeats at the helm of the club. He had been handed the job after Kosta Runjaic was sacked earlier in the season, with the team languishing in mid-table and struggling to pick up points.
However, with the amount of injuries and suspensions it is clear to see why the new boss has struggled to kick on from two wins in his opening two games as head coach. Markus Karl, Marcel Gaus and Marcus Piossek are all expected to be fit for the visit of FSV Frankfurt on Sunday 22nd November, and kicker also say that Jean Zimmer and Alexander Ring are battling back into first-team training in the near future. Tim Heubach is also available again after suspension.
Are Kaiserslautern set to turn their season around?
The break comes as a blessing to Kaiserslautern, not only for the players previously mentioned but to their captain, Chris Löwe, too. He picked up a dead leg after going into a challenge with Dominik Kaiser and had to be brought off for Maurice Deville. While the traveling fans were sad to see their skipper taken off, Deville managed to score the second goal against Leipzig and seal all three points.
That win was crucial, as the Bulls could have pulled 14 points clear of Kaiserslautern and returned to the top of the 2. Bundesliga table. However, the gap is now eight and Leipzig sit in third. Fünfstuck will be targeting a positive run of results in the five fixtures between now and the winter break in order to get his side back in contention for a promotion place and end a five season absence from the top flight.