Pirmin Schwegler: "The ball will still be round!"

Pirmin, you were recently named the new Hoffenheim captain. Has this new role made you approach this season in a slightly different way to previous campaigns?

Pirmin Schwegler: Not in terms of my personal preparation, no. Just as in previous seasons I’ve done everything I can to be in top form ready for the first game. Aside that, I’ve obviously got a bit more responsibility now – I have to do a few more interviews, I speak up more in the dressing room and I’ve organised a couple of team activities, like our recent two-day trip to the Europa Park at the start of this week.

Can you give us an insight into what that trip was like?

Schwegler: We spent a lot of time on the rollercoasters and we had a lot of fun as a team. In the evenings we chilled out a lot together and chatted away. It was a great experience that brought us even closer as a team.

You’re up against a second-division side in the first round of the cup. Not the easiest draw...

Schwegler: Playing against 1860 wasn’t exactly a dream draw for us. They’re already into their season, whereas we still aren’t 100% sure of where we are in our preparations. At the end of the day it’s all about getting to the next round. They have less to lose than us, even more so now that they haven’t made the best start to their campaign. They’ll give everything and we have to do the same. We got a little lucky in our cup run last year, but we have some real quality in our team now.

This game is therefore a little more than just a warm-up for the start of the Bundesliga…

Schwegler: Of course, it’s a lot more than that – it’s a very important game. The DFB Cup is a special competition, one that we want to do well in and send a message to the other teams. There are always some great games in the cup and last season we nearly made the semi-finals. Maybe we’ll get a little bit more luck in the draw for the next round, seeing as we’re confident we’ll get through this game.

Have you already had any training sessions specific to this match against 1860 München?

Schwegler: We’ll work on that much more intensely at the end of this week – that’s the normal way to prepare for any game. We have already swapped over the type of football we’re using in training ahead of the game – in Saturday’s match we’ll be using Derbystar and not Adidas, which is different to what we’ve used during pre-season and what we’ll use in the Bundesliga.

Is it a big difference?

Schwegler: It’s just different – it’s something we have to get used to in order to put in the best performance possible. We can’t afford to underestimate it, but at the end of the day the ball will still be round!

Kevin Volland and Tobias Strobl have a number of contacts in Munich. Have they been able to help in any way with preparations for the game?

Schwegler: Both players do still have a number of contacts, but there have also been a lot of changes at the club in the last season or so. What it does mean is that it’s an extra special game for both players, since they are still so connected with 1860.

What headline would you like to read here on achtzehn99.de after the game?

Schwegler: "Hoffenheim into the second round of the cup". If that’s the end result, nothing else will matter to me.

Match facts and statistics »