Felix Nmecha before key game in Leverkusen: "We'll definitely have to play with courage" | OneFootball

After recovering from knee surgery and undergoing weeks of rehabilitation, Nmecha is all smiles again. To his delight, he has quickly regained the trust of coach Niko Kovac and has been in the starting line-up three times recently. He wants to play his part to help Borussia end the season on a high note in the battle for Champions League places, including in Sunday's tricky game away to Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena (15:30 CEST). After six games without defeat, which have seen the Black & Yellows climb to fifth place in the table, Nmecha is clear about the approach required: "We definitely have to play with courage because Leverkusen are a very good team on the ball. If they have the ball the whole time, it will be very difficult."

Qualification for Europe's elite competition, from which BVB were ten points adrift on Matchday 26 in the middle of March, is now within touching distance, with just one point separating them from fourth place. A win against last year's champions would increase the pressure on their rivals. According to Nmecha, the fact that the team in second place squandered their last chance to successfully defend their title with a 2-2 draw away to fourth-placed Freiburg last weekend will only have a limited impact on the match against BVB: "Many teams play even better when they are under no pressure. But that can't be our focus. Our focus must be on ourselves and on performing. Then we can do it."

The defensive midfielder's recovery has helped BVB get back into contention for the Champions League. Four of the eight games without Nmecha, who suffered a knee injury in the home game against Bremen at the end of January, ended in defeat. During his enforced lay-off, Nmecha tried to stay focused on the positive: "It's not easy. You come to the game and you really want to do something, but you can't. In a situation like that, you try to support the team as much as possible, talk to people and motivate them off the pitch."

His hard work in training and the relationship of trust he built up with Kovac during their time together at VfL Wolfsburg helped speed up his comeback. "Even when I was injured, I felt that he was there for me," said Nmecha, adding: "We already had a very good relationship before that. I'm delighted to be back in the starting line-up so quickly and will now just try to make the most of every opportunity."

The 24-year-old does not want to overstate his influence on BVB's progress in recent weeks. He points to other factors, such as the team's strong performances in the Champions League, among other things: "It's just gotten better and better from game to game. That gives you momentum." The coach's increasing influence on the team has also contributed to the turnaround: "Of course, everyone gets to know each other better over time."

Recent good results, including against top sides such as Barcelona (3-1) and Bayern Munich (2-2), give Nmecha confidence for the clash with Leverkusen: "We have to stay focused on what we've done so well in recent weeks against very, very good opponents and not put too much pressure on ourselves."