Alonso ahead of #B04BSC: ‘Hertha in difficult position but in good form'

"We had an important week of training," said Alonso. "After the last two intensive weeks with the matches in Monaco and Freiburg and the impending, very demanding days ahead, the complete recovery of all players was on the agenda for us so that we were able to then prepare with all our strength."

Alonso: "better control recently but too many goals conceded"

Alonso rates the next opponents as dangerous: "Hertha are currently in a difficult position but in good form. In their recent wins against Mönchengladbach and Augsburg, but also against Dortmund, they played with a different and successful system and through that have shown good energy." The 41-year-old coach is therefore expecting an intensive, physical encounter, "similar to the Mainz game."

Alonso is demanding solid defensive work as well as a certain control of tempo in attack: "We had better control in the last two matches and more stability with the ball but we have conceded too many goals. That has to improve. We have to be able to defend better without the ball and learn to increase the tempo up front only when we’ve found the space. That's a process we've been working on this week."

full squad

Alonso is almost able to call on his full squad: All his players are available with the exception of Charles Aránguiz and Andrey Lunev. "They are all fit and we've trained well. Through that there is a lot of competition between the players in the different positions. That makes it difficult for me to pick the team but I'm happy to have that problem," said Alonso before adding: "It is particularly important for the current phase of the season as we need to be able to make use of the whole squad."

The Spaniard also found words of praise for midfielder Robert Andrich who recently played in more of a sweeper role in Freiburg: "It was an experiment. But Rob understood the position. He knows when and at what pace he has to play and when he should make whichever pass. It's important that we have this option in the future."

Family matchday with full house at the BayArena

The match against Hertha is sold out. 2,000 fans are expected to travel from Berlin. Bayer 04 invites fans to the traditional family matchday presented by main sponsor Barmenia from 13.30 CET. There will be a special programme of events for young and old in and around the BayArena. Above all, young Werkself supporters are set to have a great time at the stadium as there will be numerous games and activities on the west and east sides of the BayArena. Further information is available HERE.