Martínez ahead of Stuttgart match: Press forward with renewed energy

“The mood is good. Our main priority now is to recharge our batteries. With such a tight fixture list, every hour counts,” said head coach Carles Martínez at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.

He is also counting on home support: “The bond between the team and the fans is crucial. Together, we are a strong unit. That helps us in every match, especially at home. The fans give us a massive boost, even when we’re behind, as was the case against Nürnberg. They’ve been able to enjoy themselves at the BayArena so far (the Werkself have won every home match this term, ed.). We want to carry on in exactly the same way against Stuttgart.”

Stuttgart playing well despite dip in league form

For their part, Stuttgart are going through a difficult spell and have shown two very different sides to their game so far. While they have been impressive in the Champions League and currently sit sixth in the table as the highest-ranked German team, they are 15th in the Bundesliga. In the DFB Pokal, they only managed a 1–0 last-minute victory against SC Paderborn midweek, despite having the extra man.

However, that will not change anything in our preparations, according to Martínez: “We’re focusing on ourselves and on the things we need to do to win. Stuttgart are still a good side; they’re strong on the ball. The most important thing is our own performance.”

And he has enjoyed it so far this season, as he explained when asked to give a brief interim assessment: “I’m very satisfied. The bonds between me, my team and the players are growing ever stronger. Together with my team, I want to set an example of energy and passion. The players can see that and have been putting it into practice very well so far.”

Tapsoba a "good leader"

This week’s squad update? The focus was on Edmond Tapsoba, Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez. Speaking about the skipper Tapsoba, who netted his first ever Bayer 04 brace against FC Nürnberg, Martínez said: “I’m really pleased with him, just as I am with every one of my players. He helps everyone, both on and off the pitch. He’s a great leader for this team.”

Speaking about Schick, the Spaniard said: “He is a player who is very focused and unselfish. We are working on helping him shine even more, so that he can continue to make the most of his strengths.” On Hofmann and Vázquez, he had the following to say: “They always train well and have an incredible amount of experience, which helps us. Especially with things that happen behind the scenes and which you don’t really see from the outside.”

match on Sky, multi-match coverage on DAZN

The match is being broadcast live on Sky and its streaming service WOW. It can also be watched as part of the multi-match coverage on DAZN. As usual, Werkself Radio will also be broadcasting – available on bayer04.de and via the Bayer 04 app.