Da Costa: "TSG are a very strong footballing side"

Danny, the season started much earlier for you due to the Europa League qualifiers. How did your pre-season preparations change as a result?

"The biggest change was that we had to be on our game much earlier and there were hardly any friendlies to rehearse things. We had to condense a pre-season, which usually takes up five or six weeks, into two or three weeks.

Last season, you reached the semi-finals of the Europa League and only exited the competition on penalties to the eventual winners Chelsea. What kind of an experience was that for you?

"These are obviously things you don't forget quickly. The entire journey through the Europa League was absolutely crazy. Of course, we'd have liked to crown it by reaching the final, but I still think that we can take a lot of positives from it and that we earned ourselves respect at a really high level."

The Bundesliga campaign starts on Sunday. How much are you looking forward to it starting again?

"The Bundesliga is our bread and butter, and it's what matters for us weekend-in, weekend-out. Of course, there is a lot of excitement that it's now getting going again."

TSG are the opponents on Sunday. What kind of game are you expecting?

"What sets TSG apart is that they have a very good playing system and, above all, are always a very strong footballing side. With that in mind, I'm expecting a very difficult game, especially given that they have a new coach there who will bring in new ideas. It's difficult to predict what awaits us."