Düsseldorf coach Thioune: Team is calm ahead of possible promotion
Fortuna Düsseldorf coach Daniel Thioune said his team remains calm ahead of the possible promotion to the Bundesliga.
"The external euphoria is normal. But to our inner circle is relatively clear that the euphoria is misplaced and not a companion of ours," Thioune said in a news conference on Sunday.
Düsseldorf host Bundesliga side VfL Bochum on Monday for the second leg of their promotion/relegation tie and have a 3-0 advantage from the first game.
"Bochum will not play restrained football. We're prepared for that - we showed that in Bochum. Our players are able to adapt quickly," Thioune said.
Düsseldorf finished the second tier in the third place with a run of 14 games without defeat. Bochum slipped to third last in the Bundesliga on the final matchday with defeat at Werder Bremen, coupled with Union Berlin's last gasp win against Freiburg.
Bochum want to stay in the Bundesliga for a third straight season but need a miracle in Düsseldorf against a host side that last played in the top flight in 2019-20.
Coach Heiko Butscher is asking his players to show character on the pitch to fight for a turnaround.
"This is now a matter of attitude and something has to come from the team," he said.
"It took us a long time to regain our footing after the 3-0 defeat. We tried to build up the team again. I can't say whether that was successful, we'll see on Monday evening," he added, but stressed he expects a reaction and demanded "aggression, intensity, passion and attitude from the players."
Bundesliga teams have won 12 of the 15 play-off ties since they were introduced again in 2009. Düsseldorf are among the three second division sides that prevailed, 2012 against Hertha Berlin, and no team has ever come back from three goals down.
