During an interview with Sky Germany, Sébastien Haller has spoken about the Champions League, his physical condition, and the upcoming Revierderby against Schalke 04 this Saturday.
Haller has been one of the stories of the season. Having overcome his cancer diagnosis, the Ivorian international has finally made his debut for Borussia Dortmund and now hopes to help them win the Bundesliga this season. However, first, there is the small matter of the Revierderby.
Haller briefly mentioned the loss to Chelsea on Tuesday evening: “We could talk about the referee for years. But first, we have to talk about our performance. If we had scored a goal earlier, nobody would talk about this situation.”
The 28-year-old forward isn’t dwelling on the loss, however. His mind is fully focused on this weekend’s clash against Schalke 04. Despite each team’s league position, Haller understands that derby games are much more than that.
“If you look at the table, Dortmund is the clear favourite. But we know that derbies are never about the table. It’s all about this game and this rivalry. You can be first and last, but this game will be very different. It’s not about the table position, it’s about the will and who wants to win the game more,” explained the BVB forward.
When asked about his physical condition, Haller provided a positive response: “I’m getting better and better. I get a lot of help from the team, from the employees, from everyone. It feels great to feel better every day. But that’s just a small step to reach my full potential.”
Haller was then asked if he would be rested from the beginning of the match against Schalke. It’s clear that Haller isn’t a fan of this possibility: “It’s not possible, I wouldn’t accept that. The coach gave me a few breaks in January, that’s fine. But not in the derby. You want to play there, score a goal and win.”
With the number of injuries in the BVB squad, it’s unlikely that head coach Edin Terzić can afford to rest Haller. Marco Reus may also be added to the list of those missing as the midfielder is fighting a flu infection.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
