“Aiming for the maximum haul” | OneFootball

Having made a welcome return to full training, Hugo Larsson looks ahead to final stretch of the year and discusses experience, the match at Leipzig and the Swedish national team.

Hugo, you suffered a thigh muscle injury during the international break in November. How are you doing?“I’m doing very well. I’m really happy that I’ve been back in full training since Thursday.”

You missed the matches against Köln, Atalanta and Wolfsburg. How hard is it for you to watch from the sidelines?“It’s tough. In the matches against Atalanta and Wolfsburg, where we didn’t perform so well, it was especially hard to watch.”

You played alongside Mo Dahoud in midfield for one half against Mainz. His journey this season is quite a special story. How do you see it?“Mo has a really good character, a very good attitude. Even though he’s not been in the squad on some matchdays, he’s always been one of the best trainers and always had a smile on his face. He’d never create a bad atmosphere. It’s certainly not been easy for him, which is why we’re all really happy for him.” 

Even though you’ve already made over 150 professional appearances at the age of just 21, how much does it help you in your development to have the experience of Mo, Mario Götze or Ellyes Skhiri alongside you?“Knowing I’ve got those players next to me on the pitch gives me a sense of calm more than anything. I know what to expect from them and how they play. Meanwhile, I can learn a lot from them off the pitch – the things they’ve been doing every day for years to still be able to play at this level.” You’ve started in 14 out of 19 matches in 2025/26, registering three assists. How do you assess the season for you personally so far?“The first three or four matches were very good from my point of view, probably the best games I’ve played for Frankfurt. In the weeks after that, I wasn’t able to produce the performances I wanted. In the period between the international breaks in October and November, it improved again and I did pretty well. I was able to show the kind of football that I want to see from myself. Then came the injury, so it’s been a half-season with ups and downs, but on the whole I can be pleased.”

Before Christmas you’ve got away matches against Leipzig and Hamburg as well as the meeting with Augsburg at Deutsche Bank Park in the Bundesliga. How do you assess those assignments?“We always want to win and we’re aiming for the maximum haul from these three matches. It’s possible. Playing in Leipzig is especially difficult but we want to get a result there. Looking ahead to the games against Augsburg and Hamburg, I say as an Eintracht player – with all due to respect to the opponents – we should be winning those matches, which is our clear target.” 

Even though you’re obviously used to playing every three days, how valuable has this full week of training been before the big match at Leipzig, who were in action in midweek?“That could certainly be an advantage. Playing every three days is obviously nice but it’s also demanding. It’s the first time in a while that we’ve had a full week of training.”

The World Cup groups are being drawn in Washington DC tonight. The dream of being involved in the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico is still alive for Sweden via the play-offs – your first opponents are Ukraine. Will we see the Swedes at the World Cup?“Yes. It won’t be easy but my answer is: yes.”