Matarazzo: “We want to live up to our role as favourites”

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31 October 2024, 18:15 yayınlandı

Pellegrino Matarazzo on…

…the opposition: “Nürnberg have been very successful in the Bundesliga 2 recently. They got off to a tough start, but have been setting off attacking fireworks in the last three matchdays. Things have been going much better since they switched to a back three. The four attacking players co-ordinate very well. Scoring 15 goals in three games is no coincidence. There’s a lot of quality there. We want to shut down their counter-attacking play and work well defensively. It will be a game with a lot of energy. I hope we win and progress to the next round. We want to live up to our role as favourites.”

…the DFB-Pokal: “It takes six games to win the trophy. That’s the quickest route to silverware and it’s very exciting. Anything is possible in the DFB-Pokal, as previous years have shown. The form on the day is decisive, there are no second chances in the cup. It’s all about getting through to the next round and that’s where we want to be. The DFB-Pokal is a great competition.”

…the possible line-up: “There are different reasons for rotation. Some players need a break, some deserve to play. It’s quite possible that the starting line-up against Nürnberg will look different to the one in Heidenheim. You also have to consider the possibility of extra time, but we want to win after 90 minutes.”

…his personal history with Nürnberg: “11 years at a club is a very long time in football. I was there for three years as a player and eight years as a coach – that leaves its mark. It was the time when I made the transition to coaching. I’m still in touch with a few people at the club, but a lot has changed in Nuremberg. My son was born in the city. It will always be an important part of our lives.”

…his opposite number Miroslav Klose: “I know him, but he won’t know me. In my first year in Germany, I played against him and the Kaiserslautern second team. He was a top talent back then and I couldn’t get close to him. I caught him with a high foot and then as a result of our encounter, I closely followed his career as a player. He was a great player and he’s also making good progress as a coach.”

…Julian Justvan: “Julian has great quality in attack, and you could see that with us. It was difficult for him in central midfield, which is why he didn’t get many minutes. He’s settling in well with Nürnberg and getting a lot of playing time. It was probably the right move for him.”

The personnel situation:

Dennis Geiger is still out, but could be an option against St. Pauli. Otherwise, there are no changes to the available players from the game in Heidenheim.

The opposition’s form:

After a slow start to the season, things have been going much better for 1. FC Nürnberg recently. Coach Miroslav Klose’s team have won their last three games, scoring 15 goals in the process. As a result, the club are in eighth place with 16 points.

Head-to-head record:

The two clubs have faced each other on 13 occasions. TSG have won seven games, Nürnberg have won three, and three have ended in draws. They have also met once before in the DFB-Pokal: Hoffenheim won 1-0 in the second round in 2009.