Martínez ahead of Lech Poznan: ‘We want another three points’

The pair were the first members of the travelling Werkself party to see the 42,000 capacity Poznan Stadium as they made their way to the press conference. “It looks great. We’re really excited,” said Martínez of the ground. “Obviously we know we can expect a special atmosphere, but we’re prepared. These nights are why we play in Europe. We can hardly wait.”

Analysing the opposition, who are defending champions in Poland and currently second in the domestic table, the Spaniard didn’t want to go into too much detail publicly. “We know of their great qualities. Our goal is to not allow them to show them. We want another three points – that’s clear,” Martínez stated.

Tella and the Europa League: ‘Means a lot to me’

Tella recalled his memories of past Europa League nights from 2023/24, when the Werkself enjoyed an unbeaten run to the final in Dublin. “Those were magical nights. We want to build on those, as well as the last few games,” said the 27-year-old of his special connection to the competition.

It was in the Europa League that Tella scored his first Leverkusen goal, netting in a 2-1 win at Molde on 5 October 2023. “This competition means a lot to me. They were my first games in Europe,” he added.

Tella and his teammates will be supported by 1,150 travelling fans in Poznan, and he stressed that “our ambitions haven’t changed. We go into a competition to win it. We want to be there in Frankfurt in May. That’s our aspiration.”