Dino Toppmöller on ...
... his expectations: “We need physical presence but we also want to play well with the ball. We need better structure and forward play to create more goalscoring opportunities – that’s our plan. We’ll try and hold our own from the first minute, focus on our game and want to finally pick up three points again.”
... personnel: “Hugo Ekitiké needed a little longer to recover after a tough session on Wednesday and trained on his own today [Thursday] – but that was merely a precaution. Ellyes Skhiri was unable to train on Thursday because he’s still struggling with a back problem. Of those three players [Ekitiké, Skhiri and Robin Koch], he’s the biggest doubt for Saturday – but that doesn’t mean he won’t be involved.”
We want to respond on the pitch
Head coach Dino Toppmöller
... the Eagles’ position and mindset: “We’re all hungry for a win. We fully deserve to be in sixth place and want to take a few more steps in the right direction with a good performance and three points on Saturday. However, we also know how difficult it’s going to be. We want to approach the game with positive energy and we’re only thinking of positive scenarios. We want to respond on the pitch.”
... Saturday’s opponents 1. FC Heidenheim: “We know what 1. FC Heidenheim are capable of and are aware of their strengths. They’re a team who are good in transition, very dangerous at set pieces, play passionate football and defend with passion too. Heidenheim are a team who let the opposition have the ball, which makes sense because their transitions are really good. It’ll be up to us to make good decisions and be structured in our approach in order to nip those counterattacks in the bud.”
