TSG Hoffenheim of Germany defender, Kevin Akpguma is looking ahead of this Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash against KAA Gent of Belgium with a high level of optimism, as he believes his side can win all their matches in the first round of the European second-tier clubs’ competition.
Megasportsarena.com reports that, although he admitted that Gent will try to upstage his side with their famous attacking approach, while his team are also saddled with a congested fixture already, the new Super Eagles’ rookie believes Hoffenheim will hold their own in all their upcoming matches.
He admitted that everyone at ‘The Village Club’ will have to be up and doing, as the German Bundesliga outfit have to play a total of seven games in the space of 22 days, across which he acknowledged that he and his teammates must be in top physical shape.
Hoffenheim’s next game in their jam-packed schedule is a trip to GHELAMCO-arena, where they face Gent on matchday two in the Europa League on Thursday, ahead of which Akpoguma, who can feature as a central defender or right-back, is again aiming to play a key role for his side, having already gone the distance in all seven matches they have played so far this season.
The one-cap Nigeria international, who has three appearances for Hoffenheim in European competitions, two of which were previously in the UEFA Champions League, admitted that his side’s Belgian opponents will be desperate to get their campaign back on track following their opening day defeat by Slovan Liberec.
Akpoguma told Hoffenheim’s official website: “Gent are obviously under pressure to get a result. I believe that their team will play on the front foot and try to play an attacking game. That will suit us.
“But we need to focus entirely on ourselves and ensure that we assert our style. If we go to the limits of our performance, I’m optimistic that we can beat every team in this group. Over the coming weeks, the important thing will be to ensure we recover in the days between matches.
“We need to get as close as possible to 100 percent so that there are not any muscle injuries. To date, we’ve been implementing our plan very well and we naturally hope that it continues like this.”
