17.12.2009

Frontzeck not afraid of Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen have yet to lose a game this season, but Borussia travel to the BayArena on Saturday with justified hopes of getting a result.

This on its own was evidence of the good work his side had done so far, head coach Michael Frontzeck said today. "We need to hit the same kind of form as we did away to Bayern, even though we lost there. We haven't beaten Leverkusen in a long time and they haven't lost a single game this season, and yet we will not be going there with any fear. It's something we, i.e. fans, players and officials, have worked hard to achieve in recent weeks and months."

Matmour very doubtful

Frontzeck is still unsure whether Karim Matmour will recover from his dental problems in time for the final game of the year, but at the moment it does not look that way. "We'll have to wait and see whether he can train and how, but it's very doubtful that he can travel", he said. Otherwise the only absentees are the long-term casualties. No one is suspended, though Tobias Levels and Juan Arango are both on four yellow cards and will receive a one-match ban if they are booked again. Yet Frontzeck was keen to point out that it was the team that was important, not individual players, and that this was Borussia's biggest strength at the moment.

Turning his attention to Leverkusen, Frontzeck said the main reason they were so good this season was that for all their individual quality and technical ability, they had now learned to settle for a draw if necessary. And in reply to a journalist at today's press conference who pointed out that they had struggled against Hannover and Hertha BSC Berlin, Frontzeck said: "Yes, but they were away games, which is something different again. I'm sure Stuttgart and Frankfurt wanted to hold their own at the BayArena and make things difficult for their opponents. They both lost 4-0 in Leverkusen."