„A game played on equal terms“

Regarding personnel, this week’s news is very good. Matej is definitely in the squad. I can’t imagine him playing all three games next week, but he could well be in the starting eleven on Sunday. He’s in the squad, but we’ll consider the rest.

Fabi Nürnberger had a perfect start with the Fürth game. He’s continued to train without any problems this week, and I see him at the same level as before his injury.

I’m expecting a really great football match. These are two teams that are very similar in their attacking style of play. Both have a flexible yet purposeful approach with the ball. Elversberg has a flexible build-up play and courageous full-backs. They constantly look to play their way through and have a top striker up front. They’re a team that adapts its game throughout the match. But you can say a lot about us from that perspective as well. I expect an absolutely top-class second division match, not just in terms of the league table, but also in terms of quality.

The focus is usually on the players who end up scoring the goal. For us, that’s often Isac Lidberg, and for Elversberg, it’s Younes Ebnoutalib. The two strikers are somewhat different. In my opinion, Isac is a bit more powerful and has a bit more drive in the box. Ebnoutalib is very agile, has great depth, and possesses good technique. They won’t be directly competing against each other, but it should be an exciting duel.

We need to be able to impose our game there. Elversberg has had the most problems so far against deep-lying opponents. At a certain stage of the game, that will be something we can’t shy away from. Dominating them for 90 minutes, I think, is unrealistic. Therefore, we also need to master that other phase. We can do it; we’ve already shown that. It will be crucial to be alert, both physically and mentally. These are among the main factors that will determine who ultimately emerges victorious.

There’s a summer break between the last match. These are completely different teams. If you look at the names Elversberg had here, you’ll see several players who are now regulars at Bundesliga clubs. It’s tempting to portray a seemingly smaller club like Elversberg as an underdog. That doesn’t do them justice. Neither last year nor this year. They’re doing outstanding work, and it’s anything but a coincidence that they’re where they are. There’s a lot of individual quality in the team.

Elversberg’s attacking style of play has been further refined by their new coach since the summer. Nevertheless, we’re not going there to give up easily. We have a clear plan for how we intend to approach the game. I see it as a very evenly matched contest, a top-class clash. Tactically, it’s a meeting of two of the best teams in the league.

Overall, there’s a really cool atmosphere in the team, a bit tense, but in a good way. This is true before Sunday, but also before the whole week. We have nothing but top matches until Christmas. You can really feel it. We know what tough opponents await us, but we also know that we’ve consistently shown – with the exception of two weeks – over the past few months that we’re a very difficult opponent to beat and a very unpleasant team to play against. So there’s this real buzz; you want this competition now. We want to show against the absolute top teams that we can compete.