Gladbach head coach Daniel Farke spoke to journalists at Thursday’s pre-match press conference as the Foals prepare to play Borussia Dortmund on Saturday (18:30 CEST). We have rounded up the key statements.
Daniel Farke on…
…team news: Marcus Thuram’s situation (adductor strain) has improved in the past 48 hours. There’s a good chance that he will be available to play Leverkusen, but I don’t see him making Saturday’s trip to Dortmund. Nico Elvedi picked up a knock to his ankle in the last game and has trained individually lately. He’s rejoined team training now, so he should be available on Saturday if nothing changes. Manu Koné is a minor doubt after getting a knock to his knee in training, but we expect he’ll be an option for the game. Alassane Plea picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Bochum and will miss out.
…a lack of options at centre forward: I’ve already talked about our lack of depth in that position. The only player available who is used to playing there is Semir Telalovic, but it would be a bit of a stretch to throw him in against Dortmund. We need to come up with a creative solution, but it’s a situation we’ve had to deal with in recent weeks already. It’s a little trickier this time with Lasso missing out. On Saturday, we’ll need players who carry a goal threat.
…his starting centre-back pairing: It’s been a close call all season, because Marvin Friedrich and Tony Jantschke are always pushing for a place in the starting line-up. It’s obviously difficult to make a decision as the coach when everyone is available, however, having a full squad to choose from is what you want at the same time. I’m happy that Marvin put in such a good performance against Bochum, but I’m also happy that Ko Itakura is back from his suspension and that Tony Jantschke has another week of training behind him following his injury. We will hopefully make the right call.
…Florian Neuhaus’ role: I’m very happy to have Flo in the squad – he has my full backing. He’s a player who needs to be involved in the game; he needs to be in a central position, because then he can influence our play and demonstrate his passing ability. Whether he comes from a deeper position or not depends on the overall setup for each match. Flo is very self-critical and knows that he needs to improve his end product. He has the right idea a lot of the time, but the final pass hasn’t quite been accurate enough lately. We’re working on that with him intensively.
…Dortmund’s strong home record: BVB’s record at home is almost perfect. Every side has struggled when they have played there in the Bundesliga this season. It’s obviously not going to be easy to get any points there. Our away form has not been great this season. We know we’re not travelling to Dortmund as favourites, but we’re still excited for the game and the atmosphere. We have a chance of getting something if we do our job. We won the reverse fixture, however away in Dortmund is a different kettle of fish. We want to take something from the game to improve our away record.
…the title race: It’s not something we’re speaking about in the changing room. We know that the atmosphere will be excellent in Dortmund. We’ve seen how difficult it could be for us based on their recent home games. The table isn’t important for us, we just want to play well.
…which side he wants to win the Bundesliga: I’m only a fan of Borussia Mönchengladbach. I don’t care who wins the title. I just want the three points on Saturday – I’m not concerned about anything else. Whoever wins the league will have ultimately deserved it.
