Recovery was on the agenda on Saturday. On Sunday, the preparations for the defining Champions League match away to Newcastle United will begin. The team will fly to England on Tuesday. Kick-off on Wednesday is at 21:00 German time.
“It will be an intensive challenge that we’re extremely looking forward to,” Edin Terzic said ahead of the clash with the current Group F leaders. If the new Newcastle United had not already made a name for themselves by finishing fourth in the world’s strongest league last season, the 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain was certainly a statement. “They have made very smart transfers,” said Terzic, who has studied the opposition extensively and whose coach Eddie Howe “I still know and appreciate from my time in England. An excellent coach.”
Julian Brandt bypassed the official channels to get the lowdown on Newcastle United. He asked Pascal Groß, “who has often played against Newcastle in the Premier League”, for information while on the USA Tour with the German national team. The briefing read: “A very good atmosphere awaits us there. It’s different from City or Chelsea.”
The situation is pretty clear. “We have to get some points in the two head-to-head matches to preserve our chance of progressing,” explained sporting director Sebastian Kehl, who promised: “We’ll fly there with a lot of desire.”
“We’re ready and believe that we can do it,” reiterated Felix Nmecha, with Brandt adding: “Even though they produced a very good performance against PSG, we must go there full of confidence. The group is so wild that anything can happen. We absolutely need a victory.” Gregor Kobel echoed that sentiment: “We must come away with something! We have only one point from two matches.” To that end, the keeper demanded: “We must embrace the fight from the beginning. It will be a tough battle against a very physical team that always goes full-throttle.”
Boris Rupert