It’s all or nothing for the Germany U21s in their two play-off matches over the next week. A place at the 2015 European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic – and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio – is up for grabs when they take on Ukraine first in Cherkasy (Friday, 10th October at 17:30 CEST) and then in Essen (Tuesday, 14th October at 18:00 CEST). Germany will only feature at the two tournaments if they come out on top against their eastern European opponents, whether that be on aggregate, away goals or after the thrill of a penalty shootout. DFB.de spoke to manager Horst Hrubesch about the team’s chances, his squad and potential debutants.
DFB.de: Horst Hrubesch, what’s your feeling going into the decisive play-offs?
Horst Hrubesch: I’m just really looking forward to the games. It’s what we’ve been working towards for the last year.
DFB.de: What does the meeting with Ukraine mean for you?
Hrubesch: It’s a true knockout tie. They want to be at the EUROs and so do we – but only one team goes through. We want to be that team and we will do all we can to make it happen. We haven’t achieved anything yet.
DFB.de: The rebuilding of the U21s squad began over a year ago after the European Championship in Israel. How has the team developed since then?
Hrubesch: Obviously a side like the U21s is always in motion. We have trained intensively, tested out a lot of players, worked on a systematic squad plan and gathered the necessary competitive experience during the group phase. We won the group in commanding style, remaining unbeaten. We want to reward ourselves for the work over the past year by reaching the EUROs.
DFB.de: What do you expect from your opponents?
Hrubesch: Obviously we’ve spent a great deal of time observing Ukraine. We have a lot of respect for them; after all, they beat Switzerland twice during the group phase for example. They build from the back and react quickly when possession changes hands. I’m expecting two close games, although we will do all we can to put ourselves in a good position for the second leg. During what was a difficult group phase, my team showed that they can cope with these kinds of challenges.
DFB.de: The second leg is in Essen on Tuesday. The Stadion an der Hafenstraße is one of your former stomping grounds. What are you expecting?
Hrubesch: Of course we’re banking on the passionate support of the fans in Essen to help carry us to the EUROs. That’s the reason that I personally requested to play the home leg there. We had a PR event there last Thursday with Willi Lippens, Frank Mill and Rot-Weiß Essen sporting director Uwe Harttgen and it brought back a lot of memories. I just hope that a lot of fans come to the stadium. The team deserve it.
DFB.de: European U19 Champion Joshua Kimmich of RB Leipzig is in the U21s squad for the first time. Max Meyer from FC Schalke 04 was called up back in September, but his debut for the U21s had to be postponed to due illness. What are you expecting of them both?
Hrubesch: It’s a chance for Joshua to get a taste of what it’s like, while Max is here to showcase the qualities that make him stand out. Also, I’m delighted that we have keepers Marc-André ter Stegen and Bernd Leno back, as well as our captain Kevin Volland. Amin Younes will stay in Mönchengladbach for now; he is still completing fitness training and will only be an option for the second game. We will certainly send a send a strong team out onto the pitch.
DFB.de: What are your tactics for the two games?
Hrubesch: We want to win both matches and qualify for the European Championship – that’s our tactic (laughs).
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It’s all or nothing for the Germany U21s in their two play-off matches over the next week. A place at the 2015 European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic – and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio – is up for grabs when they take on Ukraine first in Cherkasy (Friday, 10th October at 17:30 CEST) and then in Essen (Tuesday, 14th October at 18:00 CEST). Germany will only feature at the two tournaments if they come out on top against their eastern European opponents, whether that be on aggregate, away goals or after the thrill of a penalty shootout. DFB.de spoke to manager Horst Hrubesch about the team’s chances, his squad and potential debutants.
DFB.de: Horst Hrubesch, what’s your feeling going into the decisive play-offs?
Horst Hrubesch: I’m just really looking forward to the games. It’s what we’ve been working towards for the last year.
DFB.de: What does the meeting with Ukraine mean for you?
Hrubesch: It’s a true knockout tie. They want to be at the EUROs and so do we – but only one team goes through. We want to be that team and we will do all we can to make it happen. We haven’t achieved anything yet.
DFB.de: The rebuilding of the U21s squad began over a year ago after the European Championship in Israel. How has the team developed since then?
Hrubesch: Obviously a side like the U21s is always in motion. We have trained intensively, tested out a lot of players, worked on a systematic squad plan and gathered the necessary competitive experience during the group phase. We won the group in commanding style, remaining unbeaten. We want to reward ourselves for the work over the past year by reaching the EUROs.
DFB.de: What do you expect from your opponents?
Hrubesch: Obviously we’ve spent a great deal of time observing Ukraine. We have a lot of respect for them; after all, they beat Switzerland twice during the group phase for example. They build from the back and react quickly when possession changes hands. I’m expecting two close games, although we will do all we can to put ourselves in a good position for the second leg. During what was a difficult group phase, my team showed that they can cope with these kinds of challenges.
DFB.de: The second leg is in Essen on Tuesday. The Stadion an der Hafenstraße is one of your former stomping grounds. What are you expecting?
Hrubesch: Of course we’re banking on the passionate support of the fans in Essen to help carry us to the EUROs. That’s the reason that I personally requested to play the home leg there. We had a PR event there last Thursday with Willi Lippens, Frank Mill and Rot-Weiß Essen sporting director Uwe Harttgen and it brought back a lot of memories. I just hope that a lot of fans come to the stadium. The team deserve it.
DFB.de: European U19 Champion Joshua Kimmich of RB Leipzig is in the U21s squad for the first time. Max Meyer from FC Schalke 04 was called up back in September, but his debut for the U21s had to be postponed to due illness. What are you expecting of them both?
Hrubesch: It’s a chance for Joshua to get a taste of what it’s like, while Max is here to showcase the qualities that make him stand out. Also, I’m delighted that we have keepers Marc-André ter Stegen and Bernd Leno back, as well as our captain Kevin Volland. Amin Younes will stay in Mönchengladbach for now; he is still completing fitness training and will only be an option for the second game. We will certainly send a send a strong team out onto the pitch.
DFB.de: What are your tactics for the two games?
Hrubesch: We want to win both matches and qualify for the European Championship – that’s our tactic (laughs).
