Anticipation’s huge

Following the important 1-1 draw against VfB Stuttgart last weekend, the next encounter for VfL Bochum 1848 is just around the corner. On Sunday afternoon at 15.30 CET Bochum are facing RB Leipzig at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. In the run-up to the match against the current Vice champion, head coach Thomas Reis answered the journalists’ question at the press conference.

Thomas Reis on…

… the personnel situation: Simon Zoller is the only player who is not fit to play at the moment.

… RB Leipzig: I watched the Europa League match yesterday. Leipzig were in full control and absolutely deserved to get through to the next round. The goal they conceded did briefly cause some unrest, but you saw their quality once again. We’re in for a tough one. For me, Leipzig are one of the top 3 teams in Germany.

… Leipzig’s idea of the game: Their football is outstanding, especially in terms of their passing game. Leipzig are trying to avoid long balls, but to find a playing solution. They are also extremely dangerous after set-pieces and even statistically are among the best teams in the league in this regard. You have to be wide awake and defend aggressively. But we are prepared for everything.

… the strategy for the game: Leipzig have a lot of quality in their squad – no matter who is playing. We are just happy that we can compete with Leipzig. We paid a lot of dues in the last match against them. Now we want to push our development and deliver a great game. The anticipation is huge. We want to start the Three-Game Week with a successful result.

… the upcoming three-game week: We look from game to game and of course I’d like to win all three of the matches. Then we would have a splendid week. We can take huge steps forward in two competitions.

… the team spirit at VfL: I already have a potential starting XI in my head, but of course I have several plans. There’s always a chance that something happens in the final training session. It will be a tough decision as we have almost all the players on board. I’m just happy that the lads are working extremely hard and every single one of them is eager to be in the team. That helps us to achieve our goals.