“We want to show that we have the quality to get a result here!” | OneFootball

“Fundamentally, you always go into a tournament to win it,” said Marcel Sabitzer prior to the first Champions League match – “otherwise there's no point in competing”. The Austrian is looking forward to his third Champions League season in Black & Yellow, "to a special occasion, the biggest-possible stage for a player at club level. I'm very happy that I've been able to participate so often and that I continue to do so. We still have a few injuries, but when everyone is available, we're very balanced, even in terms of squad depth.”

Julian Brandt is back in action. In the case of Aaron Anselmino, the decision was made in the afternoon “to give him two or three more days so that he can be back with us at the weekend,” according to head coach Niko Kovac, who is counting on Pascal Groß being able to link up with the squad on game day after recovering from a gastrointestinal infection and at least being available for the squad. Salih Özcan could not be registered for the competition due to UEFA regulations.

Nonetheless, Niko Kovac that believes his squad is well equipped – both for the match in Turin and in general. “We have a very good team. When everyone is available, we are very balanced, both in terms of breadth and depth.” The coach went into great detail on this topic and revealed: “For me, it's about having competition. The profiles are different” – and he sees that as a good thing! Because: “There has to be the right balance between physicality, creativity and running performance. If we can get a good mix of those, we're in a good position.”

Sabitzer, who had to watch on from the sidelines in Heidenheim on Saturday after previously playing in two international matches for Austria, said of the competition for places in central midfield: “There are so many games. It's very convenient for the coach because everyone has a different profile. Everyone has the quality to play. We are well equipped. That's the most important thing.” And the opposition do not know in advance which players to prepare for. “We are very versatile, and I already have something in mind for tomorrow,” said Kovac about the line-up on Tuesday.

He then spoke more specifically about the opposition and the scale of the challenge awaiting his team: “We're playing away. That's definitely an advantage for Juve. We played a pre-season match against Juventus in Dortmund, and you could see the quality this team have. We have to play to our limits, we have to give 100%. We want to show that we have the quality to get a result here.”Boris Rupert