Will Union Berlin spend the winter in Europe? This question will be answered on Thursday evening when the Eisernen face Slavia Prague at the Olympiastadion. Before the game, defender Robin Knoche underlines: “If we bring our qualities to the pitch, I see good possibilities for us.”
Since his move from VfL Wolfsburg to Union Berlin in the summer of 2020, Robin Knoche has been one of the key players and perennial favourites for the Eisernen. The 29-year-old centre-back has not missed a single one of the 59 competitive matches played by coach Urs Fischer’s team since the start of the 2020/21 season, playing from the first to the last minute in 58 of them. Ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa Conference League home game against Slavia Prague, Knoche spoke at a media roundtable on Monday about …
.. the weekend off after Friday’s 2-1 home win over RB Leipzig in the league: “I think it did us all good after all the games – also with a view to the English week now. And after that it’s going to be tough again. It makes sense to gather all our strength for the final spurt.”
.. the importance of the last Conference League group game against Slavia Prague: “To pay five euros into the phrase bank: The next game is always the most important. Of course it’s a final now, we’ve worked hard for that. It was also important to get to this group stage in the first place. But we can’t live on that any more. Now we have a game that will decide whether we get into the intermediate round or not. And we want to win that with all our might.”
.. the supposedly dreary backdrop with 5000 spectators allowed in Berlin’s Olympiastadion, which has just under 75 000 seats: “We do well to dwell on things we can influence. We have to make sure it’s a party of 5,000 people on Thursday. “
.. the feasibility of the task Slavia Prague: “I don’t think we have no chance, otherwise we wouldn’t need to compete. We have our chances in every game, especially in this game. It’s a final and the chances are fifty-fifty. If we bring our qualities to the pitch, then I see good opportunities for us.”
.. a possible elimination in the Europa Conference League and whether that would be a big disappointment: “Of course you are always disappointed if you don’t progress. But you have to say that we already got a very strong group – for example with Slavia Prague, who started in the Champions League qualifiers. Slavia is a club that has a lot of international experience over the last few years. But we don’t want to think about an elimination just yet. We’re going into the game positively and of course we want to win it.”
.. the preparation for the match and how it might differ from the preparation before a match: “Of course, everyone has their own rituals and peculiarities, but no matter if it’s a final on Thursday or not: You stick to your routines.
.. the level differences between the newly introduced Europa Conference League and the Champions League and Europa League: “An international competition is always something special. There you have to enjoy every game you can. Whether that’s Champions League, Europa League or Conference League. At the end of the day, you have to say that it’s a huge success for the club and for us as a team. Of course, the quality of the teams in the Champions League makes a difference, and especially in the Champions League you see that every mistake is punished. But as a player you want to go there again, that’s your goal. Of course, it would be nice if that could happen again during or at the end of my career. “
.. the first leg at Slavia Prague, which Union lost 1:3 when they were shorthanded: “Despite being a man down, we played a very decent game and were on a par. We lost unluckily and conceded two goals in the final phase, which were unnecessary. We definitely want to do better this time, with 11 men.”
.. the approach to the second leg: “I don’t think you should play all or nothing in the first few minutes. In a game you have long enough to get it on your side. We’d be ill-advised to go all out in the first few minutes.”
.. His constant stress: “I’m still fine. I feel fit as a fiddle, and in the first half of the season it was good that we had an international break after the English weeks. That suited us very well. I think there are other positions where more work needs to be done in the sprint area and it might be a bit harder. I’m happy for every minute I can help the team. That’s my ambition as well. “
