VfB head coach Bruno Labbadia on…
… personnel:
"Borna Sosa has successfully completed his recovery programme and we’re looking closely at the risks we’re willing to take and when he can return to team training. Laurin Ulrich is still struggling with the flu and we have to be careful there. He’s not an option for Saturday. Daxo Zagadou is also not available due to his torn ankle ligaments.”
… his team:
"We’ve got two more sessions coming up and will only prevail as a unit. Everyone needs to stand up and be counted, and we need every player – no matter what role they play in the team.”
… Chris Führich and Borna Sosa:
"Both are among the players who have only been able to complete a few of the sessions so far. Chris is enthusiastic, precise in his actions and recognises spaces. He’s found his feet well and quickly following surgery and I’m glad he’s in contention for a place on the bench on Saturday. With Borna, we need to wait and see how he reacts to the workload.”
… the relegation battle:
"I respect – and always have respected – the task at hand. As coach, relegation battles have made me more complete. We have a marathon ahead of us. It’ll be a tough race until the final matchday. I’m all the more pleased that 46,000 fans will be supporting us at the stadium on Saturday.”
… the role of the fans:
"I know the strength the fans can give the team. It can be a decisive factor in us staying up – particularly for the young team we have. It’s clear we have to get the fans on our side. The spark must originate from the team and spread to the fans. The team are prepared and ready to fight. We’ll try and play to the best of our ability.”
… VfB’s approach:
"I’m a coach who wants to act. We won’t sit back and focus only on defending. That’s not our objective and it doesn’t suit the team either. Even so, we have to be organised defensively – every player is responsible for that. It’s a similar story in attack. It all starts in the build-up.”
… opponents Mainz 05:
"We watched Mainz’s friendly against Hoffenheim on Saturday and were able to gain a good impression of them. Mainz have a clear approach and follow a clear path. They’re very competitive and bring a lot of intensity onto the pitch. Everyone pulls in the same direction – they do that well. We can expect a game which will demand a lot from us.“