Seoane: “We’re concentrating on the here and now”

Head coach Gerardo Seoane answered journalists’ questions ahead of the Foals’ DFB-Pokal game at 1. FC Saarbrücken on Tuesday (20:30 CET). Here are his most important quotes.

Gerardo Seoane on…

…the impact of the rescheduling of the quarter-final match: Our set-up for the original game isn’t relevant anymore, because we’ve newly analysed the opponent and developed further ourselves. We’re doing some things better than before, but we’re also doing one or two things less well. Therefore, it’s a completely new game for us on Tuesday. The pitch is playable – that’s the most important thing. We’ll find out what state it’ll be in when we get there. We’ll adapt our style of play to the conditions if needs be.

…our approach to the game: We have to play with determination, intensity and aggression. In their previous Pokal games, Saarbrücken have shown the level they can play at. They also always bring a lot of emotion onto the pitch at home with their fans behind them. We’ve definitely been warned, but we’re focusing on our own performance and what we have to do better compared to in the derby. It’ll be important to be more solid and reliable defensively, as well as more aggressive in the individual battles.

…the quarter-final: We’ve had a good run in the DFB-Pokal so far. We’ve got a difficult task ahead of us tomorrow, but we’re determined to get through to the next round. We’re solely focused on the game on Tuesday – not what may come afterwards. The most important thing is concentrating on the here and now. It’s all about being ready to get our hands dirty and putting in a good performance.

…the attacking options out wide: Robin Hack, Franck Honorat and Nathan Ngoumou all have different profiles and bring different strengths to the table. Robin likes operating in the half-spaces and is a good finisher, Nathan is extremely quick and Franck is very good at crossing. As a winger, the most important thing is to chip in with goals and assists. All three are doing exactly that at the moment, so we’re well-equipped in this area.

…Max Wöber: Max sustained a minor muscle injury in the game against Köln on Saturday. He’ll train individually this afternoon. We’ll decide tomorrow morning whether he’ll be able to play against Saarbrücken.