“It gives you an extra boost!”

A long, 98-day wait comes to an end at 15:30 CEST on Saturday 21st August; finally, another home game; finally back at the Olympiastadion and, at long last, we are finally permitted to welcome back  25,000 Hertha fans for the fixture against VfL Wolfsburg. 15,000 tickets have been purchased so far (you can get your own here) and the anticipation of the players and the club is building rapidly. “Players need the motivation from fans; it gives you an extra boost! If we all act responsibly and are disciplined, we can finally enjoy football together again, which is just the best thing,” head coach Pál Dárdai wanted to express this heartfelt statement to the fans during Thursday’s press conference. “We saw in Cologne just what kind of support fans can provide. We can’t wait to see everyone who comes by,” added Arne Friedrich. During the press conference, the duo answered questions from the attending journalists about...

Arne Friedrich: “We all want to see as many spectators in football grounds as possible and we would be so happy if as many fans as possible would join us at the Olympiastadion on Saturday. We need our fans, as we saw in Cologne just what kind of support fans can provide. We can’t wait to see everyone who comes down, but the most important thing above all remains public health. I am not a virologist; we’re all keeping to the appropriate guidelines which we have been set. Because of this it’s also understandable that some are choosing to be cautious.

Pál Dárdai: You need the motivation from fans; it gives you an extra boost. I remember the friendly game against Liverpool, the atmosphere was unbelievable and it did us a world of good. If we all act responsibly and are disciplined, we can finally enjoy football together again, which is just the best thing.

Pál Dárdai: We reviewed our training plan after the game against FC Köln and looked over some other key aspects. Now we are playing a side which qualified for the UEFA Champions League and are excited to see how it goes against VfL Wolfsburg. We need to be up for it and be energised, which is all part of the learning process.”

Arne Friedrich: Mark van Bommel was a terrific player and a strong character, he had a very successful career. I look forward to seeing how he develops as a manager in the Bundesliga and how he will set up his Wolfsburg team. They are a team which has stuck together well over recent years and they’ve been stable. This helps them to push on, step-by-step, and this hard work is clearly proven through their qualification for the UEFA Champions League! We will, however, be well prepared; we’ve picked out our key areas for improvement from our last game and we want to get the home win!

Pál Dárdai: I haven’t got much to say about Mark van Bommel as a coach. We don’t want to spend too much time worrying about our opponent this year in general, but instead put our own plan into action, and stick to it for the full 90 minutes. We need tactical discipline, we have our fans behind us and together we will only get stronger!

Pál Dárdai: I had an honest chat with Matheus Cunha after the Köln game. He is fit and recently returned to full training. I still have time to decide whether or not he will play in this game.

Arne Friedrich: There are a lot of rumours flying around, but at the minute, Matheus Cunha is under contract with us, and for a long time at that. We review every offer together to see if the deal is appropriate. He’s currently our player and we want to keep our squad as strong as possible. We have not changed our stance on this matter whatsoever.

Pál Dárdai: I mean this in the best way possible; Davie Selke has a bit of a screw loose. His mentality is ideal for our team, he is a serious attacking threat and we need him. He’s a mentality monster who is ready for the game against Wolfsburg. Dedryck Boyata has told us he is ready, and that he would be comfortable with starting the game. Dedryck is an important player for us and his return gives us many more options defensively.