“We have to be ready to suffer for 90 minutes” | OneFootball

A round-up of Eintracht’s press conference with Dino Toppmöller and Mario Götze ahead of Tuesday’s match in Barcelona.

Eintracht take on FC Barcelona at Camp Nou on Matchday 6 of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening (kick-off 21:00 CET). At the pre-match press conference, head coach Dino Toppmöller and Mario Götze spoke about...… how thing stand:

Dino Toppmöller: “Playing against Barcelona is definitely one of the biggest challenges there is in European football. Last season they enthralled the whole continent, alongside Paris, and now they’re top of the league again in Spain. We’ll have to be ready to suffer for 90 minutes, to run a lot and support each other. The most important thing is to be mentally strong and to withstand certain moments. Barcelona are always capable of creating chances.”Mario Götze: “I’ve been here once before, but that was a few years ago now. It’ll be very difficult against Barcelona, as it always is. We’ll have to give everything, suffer a lot and work hard. But we’re looking forward to the game, it’s a unique opportunity for us. Little details are decisive in the Champions League. We’ll have to make the most of the chances and the spaces we get – that’s the challenge for us. We’ll have to push ourselves to the limit and give more than 100 percent.”

… personnel

Dino Toppmöller: “Michy Batshuayi will miss out, along with Jonny Burkardt and Timothy Chandler, but otherwise we have everyone on board.”

… Ansgar Knauff

Dino Toppmöller: “He was out ill for the Leipzig game, but he trained on Sunday and again in the final session on Monday. He’s given the green light.”

… Elye Wahi

Dino Toppmöller: “He’s in the squad. He showed a good reaction in training on Sunday and Monday.”

… Can Uzun

Dino Toppmöller: “We’re very pleased that he’s back with the team. Unlike Ansgar, he’s not an option for the starting line-up but he’s someone who plays a role in my planning and can be an important puzzle piece for us.”

… the team talk

Dino Toppmöller: “I’m not going to give any insights into what goes on behind closed doors. But when you lose the way we did in the second half against Leipzig then obviously you have to address things and tackle them head-on. In sports, you lose, you fail, and you have to deal with painful defeats. The important thing is how you respond to that. You shouldn’t lose your courage and passion – you have to tackle the next tasks with the same enthusiasm. If you do that, you’re on the right track to being successful again.”