Hjulmand ahead of #WOBB04: Wolfsburg ‘better than their points tally suggests’

"Wolfsburg are a good opponent. We have great respect for the task and we are focussed. That's our mentality and attitude," said Kasper Hjulmand at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.

VfL Wolfsburg are currently 14th in the Bundesliga table on eight points. As a result of the low return after ten games, the club parted company with coach Paul Simonis and sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz during the recent international break. U19 coach Daniel Bauer has now taken over the team on an interim basis. Hjulmand: "I think the team is better than their points tally would suggest and I don't think they will perform very differently as a result of the change of coach. We know the qualities of their players and are well prepared for Wolfsburg."

Hjulmand on reunion with Eriksen and Co.

In the Autostadt, Hjulmand will meet up with several familiar faces from his time as Denmark coach. While Joakim Maehle and Jesper Lindstrom are currently injured, Jonas Wind, Andreas Skov Olsen and Christian Eriksen are available. It is well known that Hjulmand has a particularly emotional history with the latter due to the cardiac arrest he suffered at the 2021 European Championships.

Hjulmand said: "When there are quieter moments, I sometimes think of him. The situation back then changed my life a bit. After that time, he returned in an international match against the Netherlands and scored after just a few minutes. It was incredibly nice to see him back on the pitch. He's a great player and an even better person. I'm looking forward to seeing him again. But I also say: We have one day to go before a match. I'm now one hundred per cent focused on tomorrow and want to win this game. After the final whistle, if there's time, I can have a chat with him and the others."

question mark over Grimaldo – Tella in squad

Hjulmand also commented on his own squad. "There is a question mark over Grimaldo (Alejandro Grimaldo ed.). We have our final pre-match training session this afternoon, he'll be there and then we'll decide whether he's fit enough. The same applies to Arthur."

Nathan Tella, on the other hand, is back in the squad as Hjulmand was pleased to announce. On Axel Tape and Lucas Vázquez, the 53-year-old said: "Axel is making progress and is expected to join full training next week. Lucas is currently training individually and things are looking up for him."

over 2,000 Werkself Fans at Wolfsburg

The Werkself will be cheered on by 2,100 Bayer 04 fans at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg. Fans can also follow the game against VfL Wolfsburg as usual on Werkself Radio and on the Bayer 04 live text updates. Both the radio and the live text services are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.