Head coach Adi Hütter and sporting director Max Eberl spoke to the media during a pre-match press conference ahead of the Bundesliga season opener against FC Bayern München on Friday (20:30 CEST).
Head coach Adi Hütter on…
…the personnel: Ramy Bensebaini (thigh muscle injury), Breel Embolo (muscle injury involving the tendons in the thigh), Manu Koné (MCL knee injury) and Mamadou Doucouré (rehabilitation following his Achilles tendon rupture) will all not be available to feature in the match. The season opener also comes too soon for Denis Zakaria (recovering from COVID-19). Jonas Hofmann, Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram are all available again, which gives me a few more options for the starting line-up.
…the Bundesliga season opener: First and foremost, we’re looking forward to getting back underway, especially at home at BORUSSIA-PARK with the fans. It will be important for the lads that they are supported by the fans. Their return makes the atmosphere much more emotional. I hope that this will provide the lads with a boost. Opening the season at home against the record champions is something special. The game will certainly be a good opportunity for both sides to take stock of their progress, and to see where they stand. It would be good for us if we’re able to build on our previous positive results against Bayern.
…the upcoming opponent: There’s always a certain amount of pressure. On the one hand, Bayern have traditionally started the season well, but on the other, they have also struggled on their trips to Mönchengladbach. FC Bayern München are still finding themselves at the moment, and also have a new head coach in Julian Nagelsmann. Not everything will run smoothly for either side right from the start, but I’m still expecting to see an interesting and spectacular match.
…the game plan against Bayern: I’m glad that we have already played one competitive game, even if it wasn’t an easy time in Kaiserslautern. But, we still managed to win and keep a clean sheet at the Betzenberg, which is great from my perspective. We need to take this positive mood into tomorrow’s game, even if Bayern are a completely different caliber of side. It will be important to find the right balance between being brave in attack and defending well. It won’t make sense for us to sit back passively, as Bayern are too variable a side to allow them that space. We need to actively fight to win the ball.
…Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann: Being coach of such a world-class club at such a young age isn’t just proof that you have talent, but also that you work hard and have been able to pick up a lot of experience already. We get along well and I rate him highly.
…Christoph Kramer’s role: Chris has featured in every game so far and will also be on the pitch tomorrow, that much I can confirm. Based on his experience, he’s absolutely a key player for us. He’s a key figure in terms of his communication within the team and on the pitch.
Sporting director Max Eberl on…
…the match against FC Bayern München: Bayern’s tactics are excellent. They also want to win every game. We have been able to deliver strong performances against them in the past, however, and will be looking to repeat that tomorrow. That’s why I don’t believe that the match will be determined by tactics. I’m expecting a game with some mistakes, but I also think that we will see some attractive football.
…fans in the stands: Firstly, we’re very happy that we will have 23,000 fans in the stadium tomorrow. At the same time, we also want to ensure the highest possible level of safety for everyone. Several clubs are being a bit stricter in this regard, by only allowing in those that are fully vaccinated or who can prove they have previously recovered from COVID-19. We will observe how this goes. We feel very secure allowing in those that are either fully vaccinated, have previously recovered or who have tested negative.
…the timings of the opening two competitive fixtures: We let the DFB know of our displeasure with how our first two games had been scheduled. We get to open the season against the reigning champions tomorrow, but had to play our first-round DFB-Pokal fixture on Monday. We let them know that we weren’t pleased with the decision, but that we accepted it.
…Andreas Poulsen and Luca Netz: We lost a left back in Oscar Wendt and a left winger in Valentino Lazaro. Andreas and Luca are both capable of playing in various positions, which is why we don’t need to think about getting rid of Andreas just because we have signed Luca. If he came to us expressing that he is guaranteed of more playing time elsewhere, then we might revisit the topic.
