Jérôme, the first trophy of the season is up for grabs on Thursday. How much are you looking forward to the UEFA Super Cup?
“It’s a big game with the next title on the line. And we’ve come here to win it. We’re always hungry and want this title for ourselves. But Sevilla are a strong team. I think it’ll be a good game and we’re looking forward to it.”
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How’s the mood within the team ahead of the game?
“The mood is good in general, also now with the new players. Of course, we had a short break, but everyone’s come back well. We had a really good first game against Schalke, have momentum and want to take that into the Super cup and other games this season.”
The team showed excellent early-season form in the 8-0 win over Schalke in the opening Bundesliga game.
“No one could’ve expected us to win that first game by such a big margin and play so well straightaway. But this final is now a completely different challenge. We start from scratch again and have to perform. As you’ve seen in the past, we’re definitely capable of doing that – and we want to prove it again.”
What do you expect from Sevilla?
“They’re an awkward opponent. There’s a reason they’ve won the Europa League, and the UEFA Cup before that, a number of times in recent years. Sevilla have a lot of quality in their team. As with every opponent, we have a lot of respect but also know about our own strengths. We want to play well and win the title.”
Can you call Sevilla a team who specialise in finals?
“Absolutely. They have a lot of experience from all the finals they’ve been in. It’ll be tough, but it’s exactly the sort of game we need to see how far along we are. It’s a final and we want to win it.”
You were taken all the way to penalties in the 2013 Super Cup. Could this year be just as tense?
“I hope not. But if it does come to that, I know our team is ready. We’re in good shape and can go more than 90 minutes. It’ll be an exciting game and we’ll try to settle it in normal time. But you never know what’ll happen in football. The important thing is to play well in the end, perform to our level and fulfil our requirement to ourselves. Then we’ve got a good chance.”
