“A proper challenge”

… fitness levels: “In my opinion we’ve trained very, very well. The team are at a good level physical, technically and tactically. Of course, nobody really knows where they stand. After such a long time you also need a bit of luck to get off to a good start. That’s what we’re hoping for. We want to build on what we delivered at the end of the year, but we also know that Freiburg are a very good side and that tomorrow’s game will require a lot of energy.”

… VfL’s opponents: “We’re up against a team who’ve been very successful for years under Christian Streich. He’s built a great team that gets stronger every year. With Freiburg, you can see what happens when you work consistently. Freiburg are very dangerous going forward, create a lot of chances and don’t give away much defensively. It’ll be a battle of attrition, one which we hope we win. Tomorrow will be a proper challenge for us, an indicator of whether we’re already at the same level or if we still have work to do to get there.”

… potential changes: “If you look at our last few games, at first glance it might not seem necessary to make changes. However, we’ve had a lot of sessions in which everyone put themselves in contention. Even when we were doing very well there were always tough decisions and borderline cases, when it would have been possible to bring in another player. I’m happy with the competition in the squad. That’s what every coach wants because it improves performance levels. For tomorrow, I’m sure we’ll see a hungry and enthusiastic side on the pitch.”