FIRST TEAM
10/19/2018

Behrens: "It'll be a tough match for us"

1. FC Nuremberg currently sit 12th in the Bundesliga table, one place above TSG Hoffenheim, with eight points from their opening seven matches. In an interview with achtzehn99.de, captain Hanno Behrens spoke about the start to the season, the match on Saturday and the two heavy defeats his Nuremberg side have suffered in Dortmund and Leipzig.

1. FC Nuremberg are one place ahead of TSG after the first seven matches. How do you assess both clubs' start to the season?

"Generally speaking, our start was very good. Naturally, the two defeats at Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig (editor's note: 7-0 and 6-0 respectively) cast a negative light on our record, but we can be very happy with our points total. In Hoffenheim they would've definitely been hoping for more, TSG have great quality in the team and have had a bit of bad luck. For us it is obviously very good to be coming up against such a team."

Did the international fixtures over the Bundesliga break come at a good time after the 6-0 loss in Leipzig?

"On the one hand, we've had time to analyse the match and to focus on it. On the other hand, it would've equally been helpful if we'd had another game coming up quickly in order to put things right. Because otherwise you end up with a game like that on your mind for two weeks. But I think that we used the time well to work on things to make sure such a game doesn't happen again."

What do you believe TSG's strengths to be?

"They're a very good footballing team that now have a lot of experience too. Hoffenheim play with flexibility and are very good technically. TSG have all the qualities to be a top team in the Bundesliga. I think that'll they soon find themselves further up the table. So it'll be a tough game for us. But we've been very good at home to date. That's why we're hoping that we can keep the points here."

What will the outcome on Saturday depend on?

"It'll be very important for us to be solid and to get stuck into the challenges. We'll need to cover a lot of ground and work hard, that was a clear target we set after the Leipzig match. If we get those things right, we want to take the next step and show a good footballing display too."

You've mentioned that you have a strong home record, but have had problems on the road. What do you put that down to?

"Well, that's primarily attributable to the opponents. We've played in Leipzig, Dortmund, Bremen and Berlin. They're all teams that are in the top third of the table. At home we've been playing against teams against whom it's been possible to pick up points. Furthermore, everything at home seems to come easier to us."

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