On Saturday (2 p.m., Fohlen-Platz) Gladbach will complete the first test of their winter preparations against VfB Oldenburg.
In the 3rd division, Oldenburg is ranked 16th in the table after 17 matchdays with 16 points.
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Gladbach coach Daniel Farke (46) before the game: “A highly motivated third division team, for them it will be the highlight of their preparation. A good team that did well in the third division. I expect a good test for us, we will be challenged. But we will not take any risks for the game, it will certainly not be played by battered professionals.”
Farke continues: “But we only have three test games, we haven’t had a game for months. That’s why every minute is important. A serious test for us. Even if it doesn’t have the value of a Champion League final.”
But Farke makes it clear that this game is also very important for his pros!
The Gladbach coach: “There is not much time to draw attention to yourself. The competition is high at the moment, there are many players available. I expect a good performance there.”
It is clear that Borussia will change a lot in this test. Color: “Not many players will play 90 minutes. But it feels like we’ve been preparing for three and a half weeks – some of them can play longer than 45 minutes. But of course we will distribute it, everyone should be able to show it.”
Farke will do without a few professionals: “We probably won’t take Marcus Thuram in yet. Yann Sommer also likes to train more first. In the summer we only let him train for the first two weeks. I can imagine everyone else, including Nico Elvedi and Ko Itakura. And it is also important for Florian Neuhaus that he collects a few minutes. He hasn’t played in ages. For him, a summer preparation with six or seven games would be great. So far he’s coping with the strain very well, there are no setbacks at all.”
