“There’s a buzz before every game.”

In terms of mental approach and match preparation, nothing has changed compared to the Schalke game. But of course, every opponent has its own characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. With Arminia, we’re facing an incredibly intense team that, although they haven’t won in five games, shouldn’t be misled. They’ve played their last four matches exclusively against top-five teams. And, apart from the Elversberg game, they’ve always come very close to taking points or winning matches.

They run an enormous amount, which sometimes comes at the expense of their structure. They make a lot of deep runs and have pace in all attacking positions. They have a lot of experience in defence, including Robin Knoche. It’s an exciting overall package.

The Alm is a fantastic football stadium, very compact and capable of generating a great atmosphere. I’ve played many games there, with both positive and negative memories. The feeling of playing there in that residential area is really cool. It’s something special that we’re preparing for and looking forward to.

I’ve said that we want to win games. We put that pressure on ourselves. We’re a club that’s had an extremely good season so far. With our points total and goal difference, we would have been top of the table at this point last season. We’re picking up points very regularly, and that gives us a good feeling and confidence that we want to win games. We want to win every game. But we have to. That’s a big difference. It’s different here than at other clubs. Because, given our fundamental circumstances, we’re far above the threshold where existential pressure arises. That pressure arises for us if we were fighting to stay in the second division. That has to always be Darmstadt 98’s ambition: to secure a place in the second division with our resources. Anything beyond that goes beyond the club’s expectations. That doesn’t mean we don’t want it in the locker room, but that’s the difference.

We’re focused and looking forward to the final seven weeks of the season. It’s been a great season and we have a great group of friends, and we’re happy to be able to continue this journey together. We’re concentrating on Bielefeld because it’s a tough away game. We know that while we haven’t played disastrously away from home in recent weeks, we haven’t won away from home in a long time either. So, of course, we respect their performance, but above all, we’re focused on what’s crucial in every game: concentrating on our own performance.

We’ve been working extremely hard on fitness, especially individually. Players returning from injuries have been working hard to increase their robustness. We’ve been very successful in that.

But you also use this time to take a breather and spend time with your family. Then, for me, it was back to being incredibly excited to be on the training pitch on Tuesday morning. I don’t need to recover from anything because I really enjoy what I do. Now we’re back in full force.

Furu is basically ready to be in the starting eleven. He’s started once before, but that was largely due to the strong seasons of Luca, Killi, and Marco. I believe he has the potential to play at a high level in the second division. As far as dribbling goes, he’s the strongest player in our squad. He can resolve situations, and that’s why he’s definitely a player who will play a role in my plans for the season, including starting appearances. He needed some time to adjust, but then he showed in training that he’s ready. Furu will play an important role for us in the coming weeks.

We’re at a stage of the season where every game is important for almost everyone in the league. This phase is the best there is. There’s a real buzz before every game. That’s why you don’t need any stories from the past. You’ve got the focus now, the competition, it’s awesome because there’s something at stake. And the sun is shining.