Alonso ahead of #B04SGE: 'Intense match against strong team'

"We are happy we’re all back together after the break. We trained well today and are ready for tomorrow," said Alonso at the start of the press conference. The short time available to prepare with the whole squad is no reason to worry for the Spaniard. "That's not new for us. We came out well after the last international break had a good game against Hoffenheim (4-1, ed.). We want to do that again tomorrow against Frankfurt," added the 42-year-old.

Alonso: "show improvement on the pitch"

The Werkself are set to face an in-form team in Eintracht Frankfurt. The Frankfurt club have made their best start to a season in twelve years and are unbeaten in seven games. Alonso said about the Eagles: "Frankfurt are a strong team and are in very good shape at the moment. We expect an intense match and will need our best performance levels. We don't want a repeat of what happened against Kiel. We have to have good mentality and high concentration again tomorrow."

The Spaniard added: "There's always room for improvement. We've talked about the defence several times. But we don't just want to talk but also show improvement on the pitch. Tomorrow is the opportunity for that."

Wirtz in squad, he may play

In response to a question about Florian Wirtz, Alonso said: "Flo is in the squad and tomorrow we'll see if he can play. He feels better and that's the most important thing." The Germany international picked up an ankle injury in the Nations League match against the Netherlands during the international break.

The press conference also covered other members of the squad. Alonso said about Martin Terrier: "It's the first club in another country for him. We want to help him achieve his potential. We are patient and very optimistic. He always gives his best and shows great commitment and that's really good." In addition, Alonso talked about Patrik Schick: "He didn't feel 100% before the international break so he stayed here. He used the break well and it did him a lot of good. We have an intense run of fixtures ahead of us and, as usual, we need every single player."

BayArena sold-out for Frankfurt visit

There will be a full house at the BayArena for the visit of Eintracht Frankfurt. 3,000 fans are expected to travel from Frankfurt. The match will be live on Sky and, as usual, on Werkself Radio.