Press conference with Marco Rose ahead of the Supercup 2023

The competitive season is set to get underway on Saturday evening, as RB Leipzig travel to take on FC Bayern München in the DFL Supercup. The team will be looking to kick off the 2023/24 season by lifting their first piece of silverware. Ahead of the game, head coach Marco Rose spoke to the media about the squad, his expectations for the game and the progress made during pre-season.

Read on for all the key quotes from today’s press conference.  

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Team news:

• Amadou Haidara (muscle tear) and El Chadaille Bitshiabu (MCL tear) will both miss the Supercup due to injury. 
   
• Christoph Baumgartner has returned to team training, but will not be fit in time for the Supercup. 
   
• Péter Gulácsiis “on his way back,” according to Marco Rose, but will not be able to return this weekend.
   

Marco Rose on…

…FC Bayern München:

• “I think that last season, especially the run-in, will have had an impact on a club like FC Bayern. They were lacking confidence for a while. That can’t have felt good, and they will want to change that.

  I think we will come up against a side that will enjoy having the ball and that’s more compact and intense than they were during that phase where they were struggling for confidence.”
   

…pre-season:

• “Pre-season is tough, both physically and mentally. The lads are therefore looking forward to the first competitive game of the season. I’m not entirely sure yet what level we’re at. What I do know, is that we have a strong, young and hungry group of players.

  We have signed several good, young players and also have a solid core of experienced ones. We have been able to make good progress during pre-season.”

Marco Rose on…

…the changes to the squad:

• “We’ve made a conscious effort to put out a youthful side – we believe that they are ready for this challenge and it will help them to develop their game. This group have grown close over a short period of time, and we’ve been really impressed by how quickly the boys have gelled.”
   

…the first title of the season:

• “We will face what is undeniably a huge challenge in Munich, but we are excited, as we know that our title win in June has earned us the right to compete in this game. The boys thrive when playing against this standard of team. After this fixture, it will be clear where we stand and how we can improve.
   

…the line-up:

• “We are aiming to win the Supercup, meaning that our starting line-up will be comprised of those who have proven themselves over pre-season. It’s also vital to me that we have a strong group of boys on the bench. There’s tough competition for the starting line-up, especially in the midfield unit, so we’ll see who makes the cut.”
   

Marco Rose on…

…new signing Loïs Openda:

• “Loïs asks lots of questions, so it’s clear that some of this is new to him. His role as a striker at Lens was fairly similar, but we have a different system of play and list of positional requirements here. He played as a lone striker at Lens, yet we often set up with two here. It’s only minor details that need to be discussed. He is a clever player who has made great progress.”
   

…targets for the 2023/24 season:

• “We are very ambitious, and I’m feeling both confident and excited about what’s to come after seeing the team’s performances up until now. We are starting this season full of energy and are looking forward to seeing how our game improves throughout it.”