"We know we are capable of getting points away from home and we want to prove that this Friday," insisted Hannes Wolf on Wednesday afternoon at the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash in Hannover (kick-off 20:30 CET). The basis for a positive outcome away from home is undoubtedly last Friday night’s home win over Borussia Dortmund. "The lads have trained very well again this week. In Hanover, we will have to be at our absolute limit going into every action – just as we have done of late. We must play with courage and heart," stated the VfB head-coach.
For Ron-Robert Zieler, the up-coming game is of particular significance. The 28-year-old spent a total of six years with H96. "It is a special game for me. In Hannover I got the opportunity to become a Bundesliga goalkeeper and I also became an international during my time there. The evenings in the Europa League are also unforgettable. It was naturally sad that my time there ended with relegation," commented the keeper on Wednesday. Ron-Robert Zieler is still regularly in touch with some of his former team mates, as well as his former goalkeeper trainer Jörg Sievers. The German international and his VfB team mates will be making the trip to Lower Saxony "brimming with confidence”, according to Zieler. "The win against Dortmund really did us good. The team pulled together even more. We proved that we are capable of holding our own against teams in the top third of the table."
Whilst Ron-Robert Zieler will be doing everything in his power to prevent the opponents from scoring over the ninety minutes, Hannes Wolf will be looking to find a solution in compensating for those unavailable, due to injuries from the Dortmund game. Chadrac Akolo (fascias-tear to the thigh) and Daniel Ginczek (muscle sinew tear in the adductor region) are both out of the reckoning, as are Marcin Kaminski, Anastasios Donis (both in individual training) and Dzenis Burnic (knee outer-ligament strain). As to who a door could open for following the injuries from the BVB game, will be decided in the remaining training sessions.