“We want to stay in the cup over the winter” | OneFootball

Dino Toppmöller analyses Leipzig’s current situation and takes stock of his Eintracht side ahead of Wednesday’s DFB Cup last-16 tie.

Head coach Dino Toppmöller on …

…how things stand: “It’ll be a difficult game, but we’re in good form. Leipzig’s situation is understandable: things aren’t going so well because of all the injuries they have. But when you look at Leipzig’s first-choice XI – and that’s what it’ll come down to – it’s a really good team. We want to stay in the cup over the winter.”

…personnel: "Personnel-wise, things are still looking very good. Arthur Theate is suspended, plus he injured his ankle on Sunday, so we'll also have to check on him for Saturday. Otherwise, apart from Aurèle Amenda, we've got a full squad to pick from."

…Eintracht’s current state: “I evaluate what I see, feel and hear. There’s great energy in the group. Everyone’s giving 100 percent in training, which also makes the team selections hard. Everyone wants to be in the starting line-up or in the squad. The boys are pushing each other to top performances. It’s really enjoyable but we know that we have to start from scratch in every game and that we have to invest a great deal to stay in this rhythm.”

… the first game of 2024/25 in Braunschweig: “For me it was the most important game of the season. Given that we didn’t set the world alight in the second half of last season, that first cup game was really important for the overall atmosphere. The coaching staff and the team had a very good feeling right from our first day of pre-season preparations, and we believed in what we were doing. To start with, it was just a tender shoot that we had to keep watering in order for it to grow. We’ve watered it a lot recently but it’s important not to pull out the roots; what I mean by that is we have to keep our feet on the ground. We need to keep watering it by maintaining our ambition and showing our desire every day.”