Whilst this game is an all-or-nothing match for SVW, Regensburg find themselves sat in the middle of the table with nothing to play for. Schmidt refuses to admit that makes the task any easier for his side on Sunday, though. “Regensburg aren’t going to come here and say ‘Guys, you can win the game and then party’. Opponents that don’t have anything to lose do things that other opponents wouldn’t. They’re braver and play without fear,” said the 24-year-old. It’ll be important “to counteract that and make it clear to the opposition that they’re not winning the game. If we bring our quality onto the park then we can win any fixture. But first of all we need to get the basics right before getting ourselves over the line and making sure the result on the day is favourable for us.”
For Schmidt, it won’t just be the basic things but also the team’s mentality which will play a deciding, if not the most important role. “We need to forget the fact that things are looking good for us right now. That cannot be a saving grace for us at all. Like the coach has said to us, you need to keep a clear head and concentrate on your tasks. If you put in 100 per cent, you can win any game. It’s simply football,” commented the midfielder, who also thinks the fans have an important part to play. “Spirits are high, and that starts when we get on the bus to drive to the stadium and see how crazy the city is for football and for this club. Then you go out to warm up and see thousands of fans already there, and that gives you another boost. The support from the fans gives you that all-important extra push. We want to try and use the home advantage and give it our absolute all in front of the home crowd.”
