Nico Schlotterbeck is counting on the support of the home crowd for Tuesday evening’s game against Newcastle United: “Hopefully that will give us the extra push we need to get the win.” The centre-back also discussed the permutations in the group and looked back at the reverse fixture. 

Nico Schlotterbeck on whether the group will go right down to the wire:
“I hope not. I hope we can get the job done before then. We now have to deliver two very good performances and approach the challenge with confidence. We showed what we can do in Newcastle. We’re now playing at home in front of our own fans. If we play well, then hopefully we won’t have to face a nervy final matchday.”

…the team’s fighting spirit in the reverse fixture:
“That certainly helped us. Two weeks ago, we were told how difficult it is to cope away to Newcastle, how good they are, how strongly they press. We dealt with them extremely well, especially in the first half. You obviously need a bit of luck against top teams in the Champions League. In a battle in the rain like that, everyone has to give one-hundred percent and commit to the tackles. Our goalkeeper played well too and that helped us to get a win in Newcastle, which is not something most teams achieve.”

…expectations for the second leg:
“I’m expecting an intense game. Newcastle will run for 90 minutes. They try to get to every ball. That’s very tough, especially for us centre-halves, If you take too long on the ball you will be punished. That’s why we have to play very precisely, be decisive in our actions, play our combinations well, and that will give us chances to finish off our attacks and hopefully score a few goals.”

…the atmosphere from the stands on European nights:
“It was incredible how our fans showed up in Newcastle. The stadium was very loud to begin with, but we played well and before long you could only hear the chants from our fans. I don’t think you’ll even be able to hear the Newcastle fans when we’re at home, because our fans create such an unbelievable atmosphere. If we have that support behind us, we’ll have a good game. Hopefully that will give us the extra push we need to get the win.” (cr)