Seoane: “We’ve got to find the right emotional balance”

Gladbach head coach Gerardo Seoane spoke to the media ahead of his side’s DFB-Pokal against FC Saarbrücken on Wednesday evening (20:45 CET). Read all of his most important quotes below.

Head coach Gerardo Seoane on...

...the squad: Jonas Omlin and Tomáš Čvančara will miss the game. Everyone else was back in training on Monday. One or two of them are still doubts, but we don’t want to make any premature decisions ahead of the game.

...the make-up of the starting eleven: It’s always about having the right mix. You’re always trying to find a good balance to help the team. On Wednesday though, it’ll not just be about the starting eleven but also the substitutes. In order to get through to the next round, we’ll need good performances from all 16 players who could feature. We’re therefore happy that we’ve got one or two players back available again.

...the potential returns of Ko Itakura and Alassane Plea: Ko hasn’t had an easy week. For a start, because of the injury that’s hindered him somewhat, and also getting knocked out of the Asian Cup in the last minute. That’s a bitter disappointment in such a huge tournament. Ko’s needed one or two days to settle in here again. We know what he gives us and hope that he’ll now be available for the rest of the season. Lasso had picked up a knock that made it difficult for him to train pain-free for a while. He’s in better condition now though and has been back in training since Sunday. He’s an important player with his quality and experience. It's important for him to get back into his rhythm.

...the importance of the quarter-final: We’re seeing the game as a big chance and therefore want to compete in a way that’ll give us a high probability of progression. We would be wise to put our full focus on the task ahead in Saarbrücken. That’s why we’re not thinking about the next step, but instead concentrating on the present. It could be a rollercoaster of emotions on Wednesday, so we’ll need calmness and composure. The Pokal game against Wolfsburg is a good example for us. We had ups and downs there too, but we all believed in the win until the end.

...the opponents: We’re facing a team who’ve deserved to go this far in the competition. Their team has a good mixture of youth and experience. Saarbrücken defended really well against Bayern and Frankfurt, but were also dangerous in attack. They are an opponent who are difficult to play against and pose a danger from counterattacks and set pieces.

...the special circumstances: We need to adapt to the general conditions – whether it’s the condition of the pitch or the fact that pressure and tension are part of the cup. It will be crucial that we manage to adapt to these conditions during the game and find the right emotional balance. We want to cause the opposition more problems than they cause us in every position. It’s not about controlling Saarbrücken, but forcing them into mistakes.

…the preparation for the game: We’ve tried to prepare for the game with all the information available to us. Their league games, cup games and also our friendly in pre-season are included in that. We’ve tried to filter everything and give the players the information that is relevant to them.