"The game here is special for me as I scored my first goal for the national team here. That will always stay with me," described Frimpong, who also revealed that a large chunk of his family, who live in Amsterdam, will be in attendance tomorrow. Alonso also expressed his excitement for the upcoming match at the famous old 'De Kuip' stadium: "It's a historic stadium with a unique atmosphere. Kicking off the Champions League here, it couldn't be better."
What's more, the motivation for the competition is massive. "Everyone wants to play in the Champions League at some point," said the Bayer 04 head coach. "It's the biggest stage, so we're happy to be back on it. We have a challenging but exciting season ahead of us and are really looking forward to it." However, the Spaniard also sounded a word of warning: "All teams start with zero points. Last season a dream came true for us, but we don't want to look back anymore. Our aim now is to prove ourselves again. The players have hunger. We want to get as many points as possible from the first block of four games."
The Spaniard also praised the opponents. "I already watched Feyenoord a lot in the Europa League last season because we could've come up against them at any point and we wanted to be ready." Frimpong also sees the Dutch hosts as a "top team", adding: "I don't think we're the favourites. Feyenoord have been playing at a high level for years and are a big club here in the Netherlands. Some of my team-mates from the national team also play here. We have great respect for them. So, the game tomorrow could go either way."
They'll have to pay particular attention to striker Santiago Gimenez, according to Alonso. "He'll be a big challenge for our defence," he explained. "He's a very all-round player, has good movement and is always willing, so we'll need to keep an eye on him at all times."
A crowd of 42,000 is expected at "De Kuip" - "the tub" in English - including 2,500 visiting supporters. All Werkself fans should read the club's fan info for the match.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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