Hütter: “We have to live up to the role of favourites”

Ahead of the DFB-Pokal round of 16 tie on Wednesday evening against Hannover 96 (18:30 CET), head coach Adi Hütter and sporting director Max Eberl have been speaking to the press. Read on for all the latest.

Head coach Adi Hütter on...

... the current state of the squad: We’ve still got a bit of time before tomorrow evening, and our final training session will take place a bit later this afternoon. Tony Jantschke is fit again. We’re hoping for everything to be alright with Denis Zakaria and that he can get back to work. Christoph Kramer will not feature as he as a cold, and Jordan Beyer is out with muscle issues – he’s got to have an MRI scan, but we’re hoping that it’s nothing too bad. Hannes Wolf still has a little bit of a problem.

... the upcoming opponents: Hannover brought a new head coach in, and Christoph Dabrowski usually goes with a 4-2-3-1 formation. I expect them to press the midfield well and then try to transition quickly with Linton Maina and Maximilian Beier. Sebastian Kerk is also a very good number ten.

... the role of favourites: As the Bundesliga side, we’re definitely the favourites, but we have to live up to the role. We need to accept it and try to play on our terms. We’ll have to find our ways through, but organise ourselves quickly and efficiently if we lose the ball, as they are fast on the counter. We want to clear this hurdle, of course, but it won’t be an easy task at all. Second-tier clubs are always difficult to face.

... the dream of winning the DFB-Pokal: You’re always allowed to dream! Of course, it’s important to get as far into this competition as we can. Everyone in the Pokal wants to get to Berlin, and we have the aim of getting there too, so tomorrow is an important game for us. On the one hand, it’s always good to do well in competitions, but also for us to get back on track in terms of our situation.

... a possible penalty shootout:  I don’t want one, of course – I would much rather that we decided the game in 90 or 120 minutes. If we do have penalties, I hope Yann Sommer is as good as he was last time out against Leverkusen.

... dropping Matthias Ginter against Leverkusen: The fact is that we choose the team that goes out onto the pitch every weekend, and Matthias wasn’t part of that against Leverkusen. That said, it shouldn’t be about individuals; it should be about putting the very best-suited team on that pitch. When you look at international football, you often see players on the bench, and Matze has just not played a game – nothing more than that.

... the general situation in central defence: It was never the case that if Matthias played, Marvin Friedrich would not or would be benched. It can obviously be the case that they both play together. I decided that as a new signing, we would play Marvin for the first time in the Leverkusen game, but now there are matches against Hannover and Union Berlin coming up and it’s definitely not a given that only one of them can play at a time.

... Torben Müsel: He’s been hampered by injuries in the past and hasn’t really got going. He’s been fit for a few months now, so it was the right step for him to go into a league where you need a lot of physicality. He’s a great talent in terms of footballing ability; he’s got fantastic technique and can do all sorts with the ball. He can play the final ball perfectly and is dangerous in front of goal. I see him as a young Lars Stindl – he’s got similar characteristics in his stature too. He’s definitely one to look out for in the future.

Sporting director Max Eberl on...

... the significance of the DFB-Pokal: It’s a memorable competition for us every year. We’ve beat Bayern and now we’ve got a trip to Hannover ahead of us. We really want to reach the quarter final. Every round we reach helps us a lot in a financial sense, as well as being fantastic for the fans.

... Torben Müsel’s loan: The loan is a logical step. Torben was badly injured and out for nearly a whole year, before managing to get back involved here. Eupen is a club that he knows well; they have a German leadership and German head coach in Stefan Krämer. It makes sense to get him some game time there so that he can make the next step. We see a lot in him – if the injuries subside and he gets game time, he could become very valuable to us.

...Hannes Wolf: It could be that something happens with him in the next few days. Whether that be a loan or a permanent sale, we’ll have to see.