In an interview, Borussia centre-back Marvin Friedrich spoke about making his comeback on the last matchday, the team’s strong performance against Leipzig and the upcoming game against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Marvin, let’s start with the most important question: how are you?
Marvin Friedrich: I’m feeling good again, luckily. I was sidelined for a while due to having Covid and then had a few minor issues afterwards. Health comes first, which is why I made sure to recover fully first. Now I’m fully fit again.
You made your comeback against Leipzig on Monday after nearly two months on the sidelines. What was that like for you?
Friedrich: I was sidelined for a while, which was pretty unusual for me. I’d played pretty consistently over the last four years and never had any issues. However, that’s part of being a footballer. I’m very happy that I’m back now and that I’m doing well. We still have two games to go before the season is over. I hope that I will be able to pick up some minutes still and that we get good results from both games.
How hard was it for you to have to watch from the sidelines over the last weeks?
Friedrich: Extremely tough. As a footballer, it’s never fun to have to watch from the sidelines. You always want to be out there on the pitch. It wasn’t easy for me, but now things are looking up.
After the 3-1 win against RB Leipzig, Yann Sommer described it as a “strong team performance.” You had to be alert immediately after coming on, as your team was already a man down at that point. How would you describe the performance?
Friedrich: I can only agree with Yann. We defended well against a team that are extremely strong in attack. Even after going a man down, we dug deep and fought as a team. It was important that we were able to see the result through.
Can this result provide us with some momentum heading into the final two games of the season?
Friedrich: We have confidence heading to Frankfurt and have no reason to doubt ourselves. We want to pick up three points, which is what we’re setting out to do.
Speaking of Frankfurt: they are enjoying a solid season in the Bundesliga and could reach the final of the Europa League tonight. What kind of game are you expecting on Sunday?
Friedrich: Frankfurt have a huge game coming up tonight. I think that they will be fully prepared for Sunday. Playing away in Frankfurt is never easy, and we will need to deliver a similar performance to what we did against Leipzig. If we manage that, then I’m confident that we will be able to pick up points on Sunday.
Frankfurt have covered the most ground of any team in the Bundesliga. What will we need to be successful this weekend, in your opinion?
Friedrich: We need to be strong. We know that Frankfurt are a very physical team, so we will need to be ready right from the start, be physical and ready to enter into challenges. We also need to defend as a team again.
