"It's a very important game for both teams in this competition. Both teams will be very motivated," declared Kasper Hjulmand right at the start of the pre-match press conference on Tuesday night, referring to the points haul of both teams so far. In contrast to the Werkself, who have collected two points from their first three games in the Champions League, Benfica have yet to pick up a point. Hjulmand: "The aim is to get back into the tournament tomorrow with a win."
Bayer 04 have a clear approach to this game: "We are focussing solely on our own performance, we want to be proactive, courageous and determined, and play our own game. We're ready for a big match, a big fight to get three important points." The Bundesliga defeat in Munich last weekend is no longer an issue for him: "We play every three days. We can't avoid looking ahead to the next match as soon as the final whistle blows. It's completely normal to have setbacks from time to time. Even if you always want to avoid them, of course. But overall, we're making good progress and learning from game to game."
Grimaldo: "i want to win with the lads"
Portuguese journalists also asked the Dane about top performer Alejandro Grimaldo: "Grima is having a fantastic season and always in different roles. He is very versatile. And in many games as our captain, he absolutely leads the way."
