Matarazzo: "We want to pick something up"

Pellegrino Matarazzo on…

…the opposition: "FC Porto are a very good team that are of Champions League calibre. They play very attacking football but can also impressive defensively. Porto have a very mobile midfield and the strikers are in good form too. We will need to produce our best performance in order to be able to pick something up tomorrow. They are an opponent that you look forward to – and perhaps the biggest opponent we have faced on our journey together so far. I've known Porto since my childhood. I know many passionate FC Porto fans. I already felt that there were a lot of emotions involved. Now I can see from the stadium what's behind that."

…the analysis of FC Porto: "We've taken a look at Porto's last matches and of course at the most recent match. We're placing the focus on the game where the opponent plays similarly to us. That's where we go into detail. I of course don't want to reveal too much, but Porto have enormously high quality. Nonetheless, there will be phases in which we can hurt them. We don't want to play to the opposition's strengths."

…the agenda for the trip: "We had a final training session in Zuzenhausen in the morning and then flew to Porto after having a meal together. We're extremely happy to be here. You immediately realise what kind of power the club has. You can that everyone is really excited."

…the improving form: "You can sense that the team's self-confidence is growing. You can build on that. There's nothing in football that can replace wins. Our approach is being vindicated. Now we're all looking forward to more."

… Oliver Baumann's penalty secret: "Oliver Baumann is very good at guessing. We've therefore agreed to go to the roulette table together to make some money together."

…the record in the Europa League: "The success gives you self-confidence and reinforces the belief in our strength. We have some catching up to do in the Bundesliga but things are going very well in the Europa League. We want to continue with that."

The personnel situation:

Dennis Geiger remains sidelined along with the long-term injury absentees. Christopher Lenz will also be out for a few weeks with a muscle injury. Pavel Kadeřábek could return on Sunday, while David Jurásek and Stanley Nsoki will already be available again in Porto.

Head-to-head record:

The two clubs have never met in a competitive match. However, TSG have had negative experiences with Portuguese teams to date. In the 2017/18 campaign, TSG suffered two defeats at the hands of Sporting Braga (2-1 and 3-1).

The opposition's form:

FC Porto have started the league campaign with seven wins from eight games and are in second place in the table. However, things have been less good in the Europa League. Porto drew 3-3 against Manchester United but lost 3-2 away to Bodo/Glimt.

Match facts and statistics »