Hjulmand ahead of #B04STP: ‘Do all we can to reach the semis’

“I love this competition. The cup is great,” Hjulmand beamed at his pre-match press conference. “We’re ready and want to do all we can to reach the semi-finals,” he added. When asked about being favourites to progress, the Dane responded, “I haven’t thought about it. I’ve got too much respect for our opponent. They made things tough for us in the league meeting, but we need to play our game tomorrow and show our identity.”

Chance to win “a big motivation”

Hjulmand also had a smile when he replied to questions about potentially winning the trophy. “My children always ask: What have you won? And we’ve got a big chance here. It’s just three more wins. That’s a big motivation for the team and the club,” the 53-year-old stated.

He later spoke positively about his players attitude, always looking at “what they can improve. We’re not fully pleased with a win and not devasted by a defeat. We always focus on the performance.”

No Maza but choices out wide

“He won’t play tomorrow but should be back for Saturday, if things go well,” Hjulmand explained of Ibrahim Maza. Apart from him, Nathan Tella, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Mark Flekken, the whole squad is fit and ready.

In addition, the coach talked about options on the right. “Arthur played extremely well in Frankfurt. So too did Lucas Vázquez against Villarreal and Bremen. One has good pace, the other has experience and game intelligence.” Given the packed fixture list this month, he’s pleased to have such good options at his disposal. “We’ve got lots of games in a short space of time. We need every player.”