Adi Hütter on…
… Makoto Hasebe’s injury: “I can’t provide any updates on his condition because I still don’t know what’s wrong with him. There’s a possibility it’s a muscle issue, so it’s difficult to say whether he’ll be able to play again this year. I appreciated Joaquin Correa’s act of fair play - that sort of thing doesn’t happen every day. Makoto is the type of player who always wants to play in order to maintain a rhythm. With Carlos Salcedo ineligible to play, his selection made sense. It's always easy to say with hindsight, but we showed during the game that we can cope without Makoto.”
… the atmosphere within the camp: “It’s fantastic to set a record like that [by winning all six UEFA Europa League group games]. It was important for us to go into the match with a good attitude in order to get the record and avoid losing for the third time in a row. After we went behind, I saw a team that battled bravely in the face of defeat and ended up deserved victors over the course of the 90 minutes. Yesterday’s triumph has boosted our confidence and helped prevent us from forgetting what it feels like to win. The players showed a great mentality, played really good football in parts and stuck to their principles when we were on the front foot.”
… upcoming opponents Leverkusen: “Both teams are very strong in attack, very quick and have excellent players in attacking positions. Leverkusen have Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz, Karim Bellarabi, Kevin Volland and Leon Bailey, to name but a few. In terms of quality, I regard Leverkusen as one of the strongest sides [in the league]. As well as great pace, they also have the intelligence to make the most of their attacking opportunities. That’s why we can’t afford to give them too much space and need to take care when we lose the ball. I’m confident, though, that we’ll also have opportunities to play our own game. It’ll be a really interesting game between two attack-minded teams. We need to play to our best.”
… Monday’s Europa League draw: “I’ve attended several draws in the past and they’re always exciting. There are many good teams, including a couple of smaller sides that are tough to play against. There are a lot of big names in the draw, too. I’m really looking forward to it.”
