The EURO 2015 qualifiers have been and gone and the Under-21 national team are now looking forward to the group-stage draw in Prague on Thursday. Germany U21s coach Horst Hrubesch spoke to DFB.de about his expectations ahead of his trip to the Czech capital.
DFB.de: Mr. Hrubesch, you helped out with the DFB Cup last 16 draw recently. You'll be on the other side of the pot in Prague though, waiting anxiously to find out the outcome. How big is the anticipation for the group-stage draw?
Horst Hrubesch: I’m looking forward to it, but on the other hand it’s quite a standard thing. I don’t have any worries. We’ll have to see who our opponents are. The main thing for me is that we have a strong team.
DFB.de: How do you rate the other teams?
Hrubesch: There was a lot of speculation as to who would make it through the qualifiers and the play-offs. When you see who’s now left in the competition, for example Spain, the Netherlands or France, you have to take the tournament very seriously. I’m predicting a fairly even tournament. We’re amongst the teams who could be considered title contenders.
DFB.de: The group matches will be played in either Prague, Olomouc or Uherské Hradiště. Whoever doesn’t get drawn against the Czech hosts in Group A will be playing somewhat in the sticks. Do you have a preference?
Hrubesch: We took things as they came in the qualifiers, and that’s what we’ll continue to do. We’re going our own way, step by step, match by match.
DFB.de: What else is on the schedule in Czech Republic aside from the draw?
The EURO 2015 qualifiers have been and gone and the Under-21 national team are now looking forward to the group-stage draw in Prague on Thursday. Germany U21s coach Horst Hrubesch spoke to DFB.de about his expectations ahead of his trip to the Czech capital.
DFB.de: Mr. Hrubesch, you helped out with the DFB Cup last 16 draw recently. You'll be on the other side of the pot in Prague though, waiting anxiously to find out the outcome. How big is the anticipation for the group-stage draw?
Horst Hrubesch: I’m looking forward to it, but on the other hand it’s quite a standard thing. I don’t have any worries. We’ll have to see who our opponents are. The main thing for me is that we have a strong team.
DFB.de: How do you rate the other teams?
Hrubesch: There was a lot of speculation as to who would make it through the qualifiers and the play-offs. When you see who’s now left in the competition, for example Spain, the Netherlands or France, you have to take the tournament very seriously. I’m predicting a fairly even tournament. We’re amongst the teams who could be considered title contenders.
DFB.de: The group matches will be played in either Prague, Olomouc or Uherské Hradiště. Whoever doesn’t get drawn against the Czech hosts in Group A will be playing somewhat in the sticks. Do you have a preference?
Hrubesch: We took things as they came in the qualifiers, and that’s what we’ll continue to do. We’re going our own way, step by step, match by match.
DFB.de: What else is on the schedule in Czech Republic aside from the draw?
Hrubesch: We’ll take a look at all the match locations, training pitches and possible accommodation, just so we can get a first impression. We’ll go into the tournament well-prepared.
DFB.de: There are two matches at the end of the year: A home game in Ingolstadt (13th November) and one in the Eden Stadium in Prague (18th November) where the EURO final will be held on 30th June 2015. You will surely want to be making a return to the stadium in June…
Hrubesch: The most important thing is that the players and the staff know what to expect, that’s why we’ve made specific targets. We're also facing top opponents during our preparations in order to play at the top level.
