“Put them under pressure early”

Dino Toppmöller on ...

… the energy levels: “It just comes down to what happens on Friday from half past eight on the pitch. There’s always good energy in the group, but at the end of the day it’s about getting that out on the pitch and being really active. We did that brilliantly in the second half against Union, we had a completely different power on the pitch – which was also down to tactical changes, by Berlin and by us. Now we need to demonstrate that from the first minute, pressure our opponents early and unleash our attacking game. When you’re more active without the ball, you automatically win the ball higher up the pitch. We need to close down our opponents differently, put them under pressure earlier and also generate energy in the stands by doing so. Then everything looks very different.”

… the team news: “Hugo Ekitiké has a minor adductor problem and is therefore not available for the game. Hugo Larsson isn't in contention to start yet but could play a half. We'll have a light activation tomorrow. If nothing happens there, he'll be in the squad. Farès Chaibi showed what he can do after coming on against Union and has had a good few days of training. He's an option in attack, just as Donny van de Beek is.”

… the strategy: “We need to be very active and aggressive without the ball. If we can develop spells of pressure with the ball like we did in the second half against Union, we have a good chance of winning.”

… Hugo Ekitiké: “When you don’t play for a long time, it takes a while for you to get into your rhythm and unfortunately you always have problems. I also experienced that first-hand as a player. His absence is a great pity as he’d looked physically stable recently and has shown frequently that he can be a very useful player for us.”

… next opponents Werder Bremen: “They have a lot of quality in their ranks. It’s rarely dull when Bremen play, so it could be a spectacle. If you give them space, they have good switches of play and they’re dynamic going forward. We need good aggressiveness in the way we close down and in defending one-two moves – they use them a lot to go through the middle as well as down the wings.”