Sven Schipplock: “Leave everything I have on the pitch”

Hello, Sven. Let's get one thing clear first of all. “Schippo” or “Schibbo”?

Sven Schipplock: (laughs) It's definitely meant to be “Schippo” with two ‘p's because that's how my name is written. But I come from Swabia so my friends back home in Reutlingen turned it into “Schibbo” at some point. That's just how it sounds in Swabian. I thought it was funny so now I have “Schibbo” written on my football boots.

We're in the middle of Advent. Is it a special time of the year for you?

Schipplock: Not so much Advent itself, but I like the atmosphere building up to Christmas. Christmas markets, lights everywhere. It's certainly a nice feeling.

Borussia Dortmund travel to the WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena on Saturday. Let's take a quick look back. What comes to mind when I say May 18th 2013?

Schipplock: The 2-1 win against Dortmund on the final matchday that earned us a place in the relegation play-offs. It was one of the most emotional matches in my career, certainly one that I will never forget. I still get chills down my spine when I think about it.

You won the second penalty in the game. Can you still remember the moment?

Schipplock: Very well indeed. I found a gap and Roberto Firmino gave me the ball. I took a touch, looked up and thought about whether I should try and take it around Roman Weidenfeller or whether I should shoot. But he was quite close to me already. I tried to go round him on the left and he took me out. Then Sali scored from the spot. That game was crazy.

Back to this season. Be honest – have you ever seen any side suffer more injury problems than Dortmund are suffering at the moment?

Schipplock: Never at a club that I have played for. It's really tough for them. No one wants to see that happen to a side.

Nevertheless, you'll be expecting a tight game. There's still a lot of quality in their ranks. What is the key for you?

Schipplock: Dortmund have really been hit hard with injuries in defence. They are still just as strong as they ever were in attack though. If we want to have some success then we will have to play like we did against Schalke and Frankfurt. We have to be aggressive, get stuck in and defend well. If we cover a lot of ground and go onto the pitch with the right amount of aggression, then we have a chance against Dortmund.

TSG have won their last two games – you started both of them. Do you approach a game differently as a starter compared to being used as a substitute?

Schipplock: The biggest difference is the preparation. If I'm in the starting line-up, I warm up with the other ten guys. Otherwise you have a bit of a knockabout with the rest of the squad – some passing, some kick-ups. If I'm starting then I don't really think about the game itself too much, but rather I focus on running hard, battling and playing. If I start on the bench, then I watch the game and consider how the opponents are playing and how I can use that to my advantage when I'm brought on. But my basic attitude never changes. I leave everything that I have within me on the pitch.

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