Not just the match against FC Augsburg was at the center of attention at the pre-match press conference. The questions to Head Coach Thomas Tuchel also centered around the national team, the break in the Bundesliga and Liverpool FC.

Thomas Tuchel on the match against FC Augsburg:
We want to give another great performance, stay focused, set ourselves apart from the praise we have been getting which we have deserved, not think of the performances we have been giving and to tackle this task in a humble way in the knowledge that Augsburg will want to beat us. The opponent will play to their utmost limit to achieve this and they will have their very emotional fans right behind them. We have to be in the mood to overcome these obstacles. Then I am confident that we will take the next step and will be able to win this game.

 

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... on Marcel Schmelzer and Erik Durm not being called up for the national team:
If you see with what kind of intensity Marcel plays for us, this break will be good for him. From a sporting view point it is always possible and he would always deserve to be called up due to the performances that he has given on a consistent level so far this season. I don't know the reason, but both of them would have deserved to have been called up. With Erik we were convinced that he would be part of the squad. We will take advantage of this break and recuperate.

... on the imminent break after 45 competitive games:

I am very happy about this. This break will give me the opportunity to switch off for a while, to take a step aside from this constant tight rhythm and not having to concentrate on the next opponent within the next three days. We will have some days off with the players that are here. But I don't like speaking about this when we have another game ahead of us tomorrow. We have had quite a long time of having to be very intense and the focus is now clearly set on Sunday.

... on the big gap in the Bundesliga to the teams behind:

We set our own tempo and we feel that we have deserved to have won so many points. We also know how much work there is behind this and what kind of a special mentality the team has developed in order to win so many games in a row. There is a lot of  hard work involved for it to look so good. The team are aware of this, that is important to me. This is good for our confidence. I am very happy that we have freed ourselves from the gap to the top and below us.

 ... on the Europa League opponent Liverpool FC:

This is an absolutely harsh draw, because I know that there are emotions involved that are far beyond the challenge we face on the pitch. This is because of the return of Juergen Klopp, this will effect him, BVB and our fans, because Juergen and BVB had a very successful and emotional time together and over many years they played at the highest level and performed incredibly. Still the sporting challenge on the pitch is the most important factor for me as the new Head Coach. The main thing will be to concentrate on that. I want to be able to to do this, but only then when it is time to do so. Before that we play against Augsburg and Bremen and only after that will I concentrate on Liverpool. The sporting challenge is huge for me, the appeal for this game is huge. We are very much looking forward to being part of a European Cup game between the traditional clubs of Dortmund and Liverpool. Summary by Christina Reinke

BVB total!- Video: The complete press conference with Thomas Tuchel, free for all