„We’re eager to win an away game.“

We tried Fraser Hornby before the Kiel game, but we opted for a more conservative approach, and he’ll return next week. It’s great that Paddy is coming back. We’ve taken a cautious approach with Rafa (Fabian Nürnberger). He trained fully this week and is therefore a candidate for playing time. Killi trained less, but he feels ready to play 90 minutes straight after a six-week break. He’ll train fully with the team again today for the first time. I’m sure he’s a candidate for the squad. Matze (Bader) trained fully this week and didn’t feel anything. I’d love to include him, but I’ll also consider his prospects for the coming weeks.

I have immense respect for Magdeburg, not least because I’ve never won a game against them. But that’s not the only reason. They have a lot of individual quality in their squad, with players who were in contention for promotion to the Bundesliga right up until the end of last year. Atik, Zukowski, and Ghrieb have a combined 36 points. It’s incomprehensible why they’re at the bottom of the table. And it’s even more baffling when you look at their performances. They should have beaten Elversberg, for example.

They’ve changed their style of play a bit. It used to be all about playing out from the back and combining until the final whistle; they always played man-to-man all over the pitch. They’ve altered that somewhat. They still have those elements, but they’ve also placed a strong emphasis on counter-attacks. They defend deep and then want to capitalise on those transitions. We have to be very alert about that. They have an exciting mix.

Looking at the analysis, there’s no reason why Magdeburg should be 18th. However, it’s a factor in our match preparation that they might not be as confident as teams in the top third of the table. But purely in terms of basic footballing quality, they’re a top-eight team. That’s why we’re very wary, especially since we’re not quite as strong away from home as we are at home. There are many factors that show we absolutely must be vigilant and on our guard.

There are routines that are important, but every game requires specific preparation. We’re not doing anything completely out of the box for Magdeburg, though. We’re confident and know we can win games. We also know that opponents need to be prepared for our strengths. We’re simply eager to win an away game.

I’m working very hard to prevent us from already looking ahead to the next games. I’m very strict about that. There’s only one thing that matters: Friday night. Once Friday is over, it’s all about Saturday. Anything else is pointless. But I have to communicate that more to the outside world than within our locker room. That’s an important distinction.

Of course, I’m aware that there probably won’t be a single seat left at the Bölle for the last four home games – fantastic. And everyone watching from the outside should be dreaming about those evenings, and the excitement should be palpable. I think it’s really cool that this euphoria has built up in the city. But we only have one job: Friday night.