Alexander Nübel: I’m looking forward to playing against such a big club

“He is very experienced and knows what he’s talking about, which has done us good as we definitely need the points,” commented Nübel. The first points under Stevens should come against Hannover in the next Bundesliga game, on March 31st. The Knappen deserved a point against Leipzig and Nübel took positives from the game, despite a 1-0 loss: “We saw against Leipzig that we can still play football and play with passion.”

Excitement for the game against Sevilla

In order to concentrate fully on Schalke, Nübel turned down the chance to join up with the Germany U21s side for their games against France and England. Instead, he will fly with Schalke to Spain on Thursday ahead of the friendly against Sevilla in the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán (22/3, 20:45 CET). The winners of the game will lift the “Trofeo Antonio Puerta”. Despite the difficult situation in the league, Nübel is excited to face the five-time UEFA Cup/Europa League winners. “I’m looking forward to playing against such a big club,” said the keeper. “We will be able to put our training plans into action and see how we can play football.”

Once the final whistle has blown in Andalusia, the side will then immediately turn their focus to the game in Hannover. “It’s important to train well and gain some confidence so that we can be successful in Hannover,” knows Nübel. Another important thing, according to Nübel, is that the players clear their heads and then train at 100%, so that they can perform to their best abilities on the matchday. “In our current situation we are aware that everything is about the club. We have to do everything we can to ensure that the club starts wining games again.” Even though the side is unhappy with their league position, Nübel is still enjoying every minute on the pitch, as: “playing Bundesliga football at the weekend is the best possible thing you can be doing.”

Nübel revealed that his relationship with Ralf Fährmann hasn’t been damaged, despite the fact that he has been the number one keeper for the majority of the last few weeks. “He helped me a lot when I came to the club and I very thankful for that,” said Nübel. Previously, Nübel used to help prepare Fährmann for matches, whereas Fährmann now helps prepare Nübel. “My relationship with Ralf is the same as it was before. We get on with each other well and you can see that in training,” explained Nübel, who also added: “Goalkeepers have to work hard, so that the rest of the team can prosper too.”