"Stay on the carpet": Magdeburg does not want to take off

The most important question after the winter break was answered in the affirmative by 1. FC Magdeburg in Braunschweig: Will the Elbe city team manage to continue their streak before the break and maintain their good form? FCM won 3:0 at their direct rivals in the fight against relegation, were superior throughout the match and could probably have won even more.

However, that's not why they're flying high in Magdeburg. The players and coaches emphasized in unison on Friday that - apart from the three points - nothing had been achieved. "We can't overestimate our flow now, we have to keep our feet on the ground," said FCM top scorer Baris Atik. Coach Petrik Sander emphasized: "It wasn't that long ago that we had three points. So keep your feet on the ground."

Congenial duo of Atik and Zukowski

In the ten games that Sander has played with the Magdeburgers, the Quedlinburg native has collected 17 points, an average almost ready for promotion - if eight matchdays hadn't been almost given away beforehand. Magdeburg's upswing can be ideally illustrated by two players. On the one hand, Baris Atik is getting better and better, scoring seven points in the last five games, while Mateusz Zukowski seems to be developing into a congenial partner: The Pole has five goals and one assist in the last five games.

Magdeburg's run has come at the right time, as the start of the second half of the season is peppered with numerous duels within the relegation zone. Greuther Fürth and Arminia Bielefeld are the Blue & Whites' opponents in the coming weeks. However, these games will be overshadowed by the east derby against Dynamo Dresden next Saturday.

Second derby win of the season possible

FCM will welcome their arch-rivals in front of a sold-out crowd under floodlights for the evening game on matchday 19. Magdeburg's only win under Sander's predecessor Markus Fiedler came in Dresden. So there is no score to settle here, but a win is still a must if the team is to move further away from the relegation zone. If Magdeburg stay in the flow, the chances of a second derby win of the season are good.