Alonso ahead of #B04acsparta: 'It's in our hands'

"We're only looking at ourselves and need to be fully focused from the first minute," said Alonso at the press conference on Tuesday afternoon. "It's in our hands and anything can happen. It's also irrelevant that the opponents can't qualify anymore."

While the Czech side will definitely miss out on the knockout phase, Bayer 04 are guaranteed a place. What's still to be decided is whether the Werkself will advance directly or have to go through the play-off round in February. Alonso did therefore not want to give a final summary of the league phase yet: "We're in a good position but we can't regard anything as a given. If we stay in the top eight, the summary would obviously be more positive."

Alonso: 'mustn't attack hurriedly'

On the subject of the new format of Europe's premier club competition, Alonso added: "I like it. A lot of teams have everything to play for, so it's very exciting right to the end. You also notice how important goal difference is in this format - for us too." But the Spaniard warned: "We mustn't attack hurriedly. That's never good. We'll approach the game like every other and we've prepared as normal."

In 16 of the 18 final fixtures tomorrow, at least one team still have something to play for. All the games will kick off at the same time of 21:00 CET.

Schick: 'special match'

Patrik Schick, who came through the academy at Sparta Prague and also turned professional there, said: "To be honest, it was a long time ago and apart from a few national team colleagues, I don't know many of the players. Nevertheless, it's obviously a special match tomorrow against one of my favourite clubs. A lot of friends and acquaintances are coming. At the end of the day, though, our aim is clear: we want to win. That's the most important thing."

On Florian Wirtz, who has set up several goals for Schick this season, he commented: "He's an unbelievable player. He has this talent of always knowing when to pass or dribble. He makes the game easier for me. We don't do anything special in training, though. We've known each other a while and so it's just a natural understanding."

Alonso: 'pleased with the quality of the squad'

Other personnel questions were also discussed at the press conference. Asked about possible new signings in the winter window, Alonso said: "If players get injured, of course you have to look around if in doubt."

On Nordi Mukiele, Alonso said: "His development and adjustment in the team are very positive. He came to us after the training camp and hadn't really played at Paris before that. We know his qualities, though. He's physically strong, can play in both a back three and back four, and is a good pressing player." Alonso also had praise for the man sitting next to him: "Patrik has a great influence on the team. He doesn't just score goals, his all-round work is great. I'm very pleased with his good form."

Alonso will have to do without Piero Hincapie against Sparta following his red card in the match against Atletico Madrid. Long-term absentees Martin Terrier and Jeanuel Belocian as well as Amine Adli remain sidelined. On the latter, Alonso revealed: "We need to wait a bit longer with him. He needs time in training but he's getting better all the time."

BayArena full – 1,700 Fans from Prague

The BayArena is set to be sold out for this important Champions League. Remaining tickets from returns are available HERE. 1,700 fans are travelling from Prague.