“The city is hyped up”

Maximilian Mittelstädt on…

… the tension levels in the team: “We feel like the fans do: we’re really up for this final. People have come up to me a few times in recent days in Stuttgart to talk about the final. The city is hyped up and it’s going to be extremely lively in Berlin too. It’s not often in your career that you get the chance to win a major trophy. We’ve been working towards this final for a long time – now we can finally completely embrace it, prepare in the best possible way and soak up this enthusiasm.”

… on the stadium, which he knows better than anyone in the team: “That’s probably true (laughs). I got to play a lot of matches at the Olympiastadion with Hertha BSC. The size of the stadium is nothing new to me, on the contrary: I’m really looking forward to it. The crowd was often special when I played at the Olympiastadion for Hertha – on a final evening the stadium will certainly be filled with additional energy. My family and close friends will also be there. It’s pure excitement for me now.”

… on the significance of the last three games, which VfB have all won: “We’ve settled again and built up some suitable form for the final. That was certainly important for us as a team. The key thing is we’ve worked hard in the last few weeks and delivered our quality on the pitch. On top of that, there’s the spirit that runs through our team. Those are factors that give us added impetus for the final.”