When VfB begin their 54th Bundesliga season against SC Freiburg at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CEST), it will be a special occasion for a number of reasons, with Matarazzo and several of his players in line to make their top-flight debuts for the club.
“I can sense that there’s a certain positive tension growing,” said Matarazzo. “We’re looking forward to getting started and to the game itself, and that goes for the whole team. It’s exciting and a nice thing to be able to show what you can do on this stage.”
“Emotions and support of the crowd are hugely important”
Nevertheless, the 42-year-old is wary of this weekend’s visitors, who have established themselves as a solid Bundesliga outfit in recent years: “We’re a promoted side and our squad doesn’t have much experience in the Bundesliga, relatively speaking. Freiburg were very good last season. They started well and were in the running for the European places.”
Matarazzo is expecting “a very open game” in which the 8,000 fans allowed back into the Mercedes-Benz Arena for the first time in six months will play a key role. “We welcome every spectator that can be at the stadium,” continued the VfB boss. “The emotions and support of the crowd are hugely important and that can obviously have an effect on the course of the match. We’re really looking forward to it. It’s important to start well, even if the season is long. We’ll do everything we can to pick up our first points at home in front of our fans.”
Matarazzo also has reason to be optimistic in terms of personnel. Borna Sosa (knee), Mateo Klimowicz (muscular problems) and Pascal Stenzel (attending the birth of his child) were all absent last week, but the trio have since returned to training and are available for selection. Konstantinos Mavropanos is the only member of the squad certain to be absent.