„It will be a complex game.“

I’m delighted that we have a Saturday night game again. I haven’t gotten used to it and I don’t want to, because it should remain something special. I’m looking forward to a great atmosphere and I think it will be a fantastic experience overall. I hope we can create that special Bölle atmosphere that this stadium is capable of generating. That’s the first thing I’m looking forward to when we head back here by bus tomorrow evening.

Don’t be fooled by KSC’s last three matches. Up until then, they were definitely among the top teams in the second division, and they still belong there in terms of quality, because they have top players in their ranks. Especially in attack, they have one of the best players in the league in Wanitzek, but KSC also has a lot of quality in central defence.

They had two tough matches against Elversberg and Hannover. All Darmstadt fans know how difficult these teams are to play against. Don’t let the recent results fool you. They’re adopting an even more footballing approach than last year and want to build attacks from the back. They have key players in Wanitzek and Förster. Defensively, they also try to press high, with phases where they drop deeper.

This will be a complex game for us, in which we will have to play through many phases, but I expect that we will need good solutions with the ball.

We had eleven shots on goal in Freiburg, which isn’t a small number. But it’s also clear that we can’t simply replace Fraser Hornby like for like. We’ve been thinking about how we can address this collectively.

We created scoring opportunities against Freiburg. The issue of playing with two strikers is a consideration, but even with Fraser, we didn’t play with two strikers. Fraser operated more in the space between the lines, in the number 10 role. Therefore, the question of the system isn’t about whether it would benefit Isac, because he was doing well without a second striker alongside him before. However, I don’t know what Karlsruhe’s tactics are. That’s why I’m leaning more towards playing with Isac and a few players around him.

Everyone was very disappointed that evening. But that’s a good thing. Trying to sugarcoat it is pointless. What I appreciate about the team, though, is their self-criticism. It also helps when you get right back to playing. Now comes the next highlight with the Saturday night game.

My disappointment disappeared yesterday at noon because we shifted our focus to KSC. We analysed KSC extensively and have a plan for how we want to approach them. We have great respect for KSC. They can beat any opponent in this league. But we can also display a certain amount of self-confidence. We’re unbeaten in several games and want that to be reflected on the pitch. Therefore, I expect a good mix of respect and self-confidence.

This season, when we’re preparing for games, we can rely on things we’ve practiced many times and know work well, especially during short weeks. The team is in good physical condition.

We only have one player out, an important one, but we’ll be fully fit tomorrow, so I’m not worried at all. There’s nothing better than playing, recovering, and playing again.

Our own home record is something we carry with us, even if we don’t say it. You have a good feeling when you play here. KSC’s away record is irrelevant. I wouldn’t overemphasise it; it always depends on the circumstances. I would definitely be happy if we remain unbeaten and, ideally, secure a victory.

I expect us to be just as active in both attack and defence as we were in the cup match, but only with the ball. We’ll certainly use ball recovery to our advantage again, at least situationally. Our approach is always to try and have a complete game plan, not just focus on individual phases of the game. We’ve had periods where, for example, we’ve managed to hold onto narrow leads with a solid, deep defensive line. That’s part of our game plan because it’s pragmatic and simply important for results. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that we’ll see that style of play again on Saturday. I was very pleased with how we played in Freiburg, though.