Alonso ahead of #B04F95: “We and our fans want to go to Berlin”

“It’ll be a big challenge tomorrow. We’re definitely not going to take the game easy,” Alonso stressed at the start of his press conference. “Being in the final is the greatest thing for a footballer. For the club as well, it would be something we haven’t had too often. That’s why we want to take this final step tomorrow,” the Spaniard said with determination. The 42-year-old, who reached the 2016 DFB Cup final with Bayern Munich but didn’t feature due to a rib injury, also spoke of the atmosphere. “The cup final in Berlin is special. I have fond memories of it. The atmosphere is really special, almost comparable with a Champions League final. The players want that, and we all want to experience it.”

Alonso: “Will be a big challenge”

However, Alonso also warned of a hungry opponent. “They’ve got good momentum in the league right now, a very good coach, and have been playing together for a long time. They absolutely deserve to be in the semi-finals,” the coach stated. He also described Fortuna as brave and dynamic: “It’ll be very intense. They’ve very flexible, can play with possession but can also be compact and look to counter. They’ll come here very excited, but same with us.”

Boniface and Palacios return

Alonso has very nearly a full squad at his disposal for Wednesday. “It’s a super situation. Everyone except Arthur is in,” he confirmed. That means Exequiel Palacios and Victor Boniface are both back. Alonso said of the Nigerian striker: “Boni has trained very hard and has proven a strong mentality to come back. He can hardly wait to be back on the pitch.”

Alonso: “Excitement in the air”

The BayArena is obviously sold out for Wednesday. Alonso is once again looking forward to an amazing atmosphere on home turf. “We need the support of our fans tomorrow to take this big chance. We can feel their excitement. It’s in the air. The fans want to go to Berlin, and so do we. We’ll give our all for that tomorrow.”