“It’ll come down to us”

Matarazzo and his players have put Wednesday’s 2-1 DFB Cup defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach behind them. “Yesterday you could still feel the disappointment among the players, but I see that as a good sign as it shows the ambition and aspiration in the squad,” said the VfB head coach. “After that, though, their focus shifted pretty quickly towards Leverkusen. The side that manages to play with energy on Saturday has a good chance of winning the game.”

VfB’s opponents Leverkusen also have to replenish their energy reserves, having played 120 minutes before losing 2-1 to regional league outfit Rot-Weis Essen in a hard-fought cup tie on Tuesday. Matarazzo is nevertheless expecting a difficult game: “They’re a team with great quality and a good coach. Leverkusen’s game is all about intensity. They’re uncompromising in defence and very purposeful in attack. It’ll come down to us and how awkward we make things as their opponents, and whether we can perform as a unit and play to our limits.”

Matarazzo hopes to have a near full-strength squad to choose from on Saturday. Gonzalo Castro’s recovery from a muscle tear is going to plan, while Hamadi Al Ghaddioui is expected to return to full training next week.