“We absolutely want to reach the group stages”

After the 4-3 victory in the first leg at Odds Ballklubb in Norway the team Coach Thomas Tuchel is holding all the cards in his hands but has warned his team. “We have to be wide awake from the very start”, urged Mathias Ginter: “it’s the same for every game.” The Black and Yellows don’t want to be surprised for a second time. Ginter: “We now know how they play: lots of long balls and deliveries to the winger on the move.”

The three goals conceded in the first leg have annoyed Tuchel so much that they are still being discussed. He talks about the conceded goals “which cannot be explained at all” and added that “we have played six games in which five we have had clean sheets. I don’t know whether it’s worth it to keep talking about a game in which you conceded three goals. We don’t have to continuously kick ourselves for it!”

And therefore the Coach talks more about the team’s strengths before the seventh game of the season – notably, the team’s offensive. “It helps both the team and me to know that we are in a situation where we can keep creating goal scoring opportunities until late and especially late in the game if we maintain the high pace from the start.” Talking about his aims he said “we absolutely want to reach the group stages. If we manage that we will look like a strong competitor who could go all the way in this tournament!”

“No reservations in this competition”

There are six games in the group stages alone before Christmas. “There are no reservations in this competition or the stress that comes from it. On the contrary! If we manage to qualify for it tomorrow, we will look forward to each game even more”, said Thomas Tuchel. Mathias Ginter has a similar view: “these are international games, from the knock out stages there will be some very strong teams.”

BVB must now take the last step to the group stages on Thursday evening and with 65,000 fans behind them it looks like that should happen!