Bundesliga opener against Nürnberg – Gisdol: “The anticipation is huge”

“The anticipation ahead of the game is huge, not just for the players. We have trained well and are well prepared. Now we can finally get going,” said manager Markus Gisdol at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Gisdol is using the start of the new campaign as a chance to bring the club and the fans closer together. “We all know where we've come from and that last season wasn't easy. It's up to us to win the fans back bit by bit.”

Gisdol is now looking for the next step in the team's development in the match against Nürnberg. Nevertheless, he is precautious: “They are a strong team, particularly in attack with players like Kiyotake, Ginczek, Gebhart, Feulner and Mak.”

FCN's individual talent makes the TSG manager question why his side have been labelled as the slight favourites for the encounter. “I think that's an exaggeration. We know how lucky we are just to still be playing in the Bundesliga this season.”

Injured players have rejoined training

The squad for Saturday's game will depend on the progress made by the players returning from injury. David Abraham, Fabian Johnson, Jeremy Toljan, Tobias Strobl, Sejad Salihovic, Sven Schipplock and Anthony Modeste were all back in team training on Thursday.

“We will have to wait and see how the players deal with the strain and then we will make a decision,” revealed Gisdol. The manager himself is getting a “tingling sensation”, something that the players will be hoping to turn into a good performance.

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