“We have every chance in the second leg, nothing is decided. If you want to get to a final then you have to be able to fight back. We have to do that next week but we have the motivation for it,” declared Xabi Alonso who also provided a brief review of the first leg against AS Roma. The 41-year-old made it clear at the same time: “Now our focus is exclusively on Stuttgart. It’s an important game for us and for them too. Now we have to recover well. It will be a high intensity game.”
The work in preparation for the encounter with VfB Stuttgart started for the Werkself on Friday morning. The players, who, did not or only briefly, played against AS Roma trained as usual in Rome. The players in the starting eleven had a recovery session at the team hotel.
Andrich And Kossounou head home
Robert Andrich and Odilon Kossounou are already on the way back to Leverkusen. Kossounou had to be substituted after just over half an hour against AS Roma. “It looks like a torn thigh muscle with Odi,” said Alonso who also provided an update on Andrich who was substituted in added time: “He had strong pain in his left foot. It could be that Rob has a more serious injury.”
Shortly after that, Andrich spoke to journalists at the airport where he explained it was a “situation not involving an opponent. It didn’t sound good at the time. That obviously makes you somewhat afraid. But we are hoping for the best and we’ll wait and see what the medical tests say.”
Alonso: VfB have "new system"
The Werkself are next up against the team currently sixteenth in the Bundesliga. VfB Stuttgart have been coached by Sebastian Hoeneß since the start of April who started with three wins and two draws before VfB lost the last two games. “They have a new system, it won’t be easy,” said Alonso who is considering one or two changes in the starting line-up for the game three days after the high intensity match in Rome. “These weeks are intense. But we want to hold on to our sixth place. We have to win to do that. Not for others – but for us!”
