Mark van Bommel and his coaching staff will oversee their first Bundesliga match at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday 14 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), when the Wolves and VfL Bochum lock horns for the 28th time in a competitive fixture. Addressing the media on Friday afternoon ahead of the season opener against the newly promoted side, the 44-year-old Dutchman spoke about…
…the past week: “What happened was really annoying, that much is clear. I don’t want to talk too much about the cup game, though. We’ve had a normal week of preparation and are now heading into VfL Wolfsburg’s 25th consecutive season as a Bundesliga club. It’s much more important to focus on that and do everything we can to win our first game.”
…personnel: “We unfortunately have a few absentees, including William, Bartosz Bialek, Paulo Otavio and Aster Vranckx. Lukas and Felix Nmecha can’t play either and there are question marks surrounding one or two other players.”
…opponents VfL Bochum: “VfL are a team who want to play football, which I like. For neutral spectators that’s nice to see. In the cup game at Wuppertal, Bochum came from behind and showed they have several solutions up their sleeve. For us, that obviously means it’ll be important to defend well. We’ve prepared well for our opponents.”
…his feelings ahead of the game: “I have good memories of Bochum from my playing days, even though my role as coach is obviously completely different now. Generally speaking, I’ve always followed German football since I was little and later went on to play in the Bundesliga myself. The league has improved even more since then. It’s special to be able to work in the Bundesliga. That’s why I’m really looking forward to the game.”
