“Keep the momentum going on the road!”

Berlin – While Jürgen Klinsmann unexpectedly stepping down as head coach of Hertha has dominated the headlines over the last few days, on Friday afternoon (14.02.20) it was once again time for the focus to shift to the club’s interests on the pitch, in particular the upcoming away game against SC Paderborn on Saturday (15.02.20, 15:30 CET). “The team are focused and did well in training. We haven’t changed much, and they’re all professionals – I’m assuming that they are all ready!” interim head coach Alexander Nouri said at the start of today’s press conference, mitigating any speculation that all the changes have had an impact on the team. The 40-year-old then spoke about the importance of this upcoming match in Paderborn. “The club’s goals have been made clear. We really want to pick up points, play well and set the tone of the match. We want to deliver a successful performance in Paderborn. Our previous away games allow for a sense of optimism in this regard and we want to keep our momentum going on the road!”

Sporting director Michael Preetz, who was giving his second Blue-White press conference in the span of 24 hours, also looked ahead at what’s to come over the next weeks. “We have important weeks and important games ahead of us, but every Bundesliga game is difficult. It’s not possible to expect to take home points, but we have chances to gain back some crucial ground. We were not able to do so against Mainz, but we still have other chances to move up and we want to take them,” Preetz said. “Despite their position in the table, Paderborn are having a strong season and play a thrilling attacking style of football. A tough challenge awaits us. Our players will need to be fully-focused on the task at hand,” Preetz said about how the Herthaner will have to act on the day.