…THE LAST MATCH

My pulse has never dropped in the last few weeks. The joy is huge. It's a great game to play a final of sorts against Bayern Munich in front of a sell-out crowd. You can also feel the anticipation in the team. I have a good feeling about the momentum. This is not the time to start a big analysis. It’s clear that we got off to a good start, but then there was a phase in which we didn’t get our points, now we’re back on the rise. Either you get to the point or you don’t. Of course I had positive experiences, but it's also down to the players who are on the pitch. The boys showed in training that they are looking forward to the game. That's crucial for a final like this. You need a certain level of looseness to play games like this well. We always strive for the maximum. Our task is simple and we don't have to look left and right. It will be challenging against FC Bayern Munich. But it’s not complicated: win the game and then move on.

…OPPONENT

We don’t yet know who is on the pitch for them. We expect it to be similar to what happened against Wolfsburg when they won 2-0. Regardless of who plays, there will be quality on the pitch. For them it's about something too. We need the belief that we can beat Bayern, but we expect a strong opponent. There was more possible in the first leg too. We believe we can do it, regardless of what Bayern face. that. But the fact is that we have a lot of talent, so I’m looking forward to the future of TSG.

…INJURY REPORT

There are no changes compared to the previous week. Stanley Nsoki, Dennis Geiger and Mergim Berisha are not available. Wout Weghorst was missing at the start of the week for family reasons, but according to Matarazzo he is very likely to be there on Saturday.

LAST A FEW DAYS

It's been clear to us all since February that the chapter was coming to an end. It's been a turbulent last week. It's important to keep the focus on tomorrow's game and bring it to a fitting conclusion.

...PAVLOVIC

Sensational. It's a pleasure to watch the young lad play. We've always brought in players from the reserves. From the very first training session, we saw something special in him. He was very confident with the way he played. He's also incredibly nice and always comes to training with a big smile on his face. It's a pleasure to see his development. He deserves the greatest praise of all. Everything was absolutely great. He absolutely deserves to be called up for the Euros. Playing in central midfield for Bayern Munich is not easy. He's a fine lad, big credit to him. There's nobody who doesn't wish him well.

...INJURY REPORT

Harry Kane is receiving treatment from his personal doctor. He can't travel with us. It was already questionable in Madrid. It's gotten worse. He's not in the squad. Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala aren't in the squad, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has flu and isn't in the squad. Minjae Kim got injured against Wolfsburg. Kingsley Coman is trying everything to be at the Euros, but won't be in the squad tomorrow. Sacha Boey isn't in the squad due to private reasons. Rapha Guerreiro and Serge Gnabry are also injured.

...ABOUT THE SEASON

If you were to analyse the season in one sentence, you could of course say that a title-less season with Bayern is not satisfactory. Obviously there's also a very disappointing performance in the DFB Cup, and we bear full responsibility for that. We are second in the Bundesliga and are still fighting for that place. Our points haul would have been enough to win the title in nine out of the last 11 seasons. We also had a major injury problem throughout the season. Leverkusen refused to lose for the entire season. With the circumstances we had, the points haul is okay. The Champions League season was perfect until the 87th minute in Madrid. It's worth taking a differentiated look at the season. We will never shirk our responsibilities. But we have the right to leave these 15 months with our heads held high.