Tell us about the Europa League campaign. There have been a lot of critical moments, special moments.

I take a lot of special moments with me. I could talk about every game. We have scored the winner in the last minute of the game three or four times. Of course, there was the win in Barcelona, then we had a team from the Premier League in the semi-final. We saw they were a physical team and it was a great game for them. But we thought we could win both games. Those games were also special moments. But the most special will be the final in Seville.

Has your team surprised you a little bit?

When we started this journey I didn’t expect that at the end of the journey would be the final. I hope the end is the trophy. If you see the first game against Fenerbahce and you see the last game against West Ham, you can see how we have developed as a team. We created after a very tough summer a lot of new players and a totally new staff. We have had a new CEO as well. It took several months to find a common philosophy of playing. So, compliments to the players. They always worked very hard in every training session, in every game. Now we get the reward of playing in the final.

You have worn the same blue trousers on the touchline in every Europa League game this season. Will you be wearing them in the final?

I don't even know what colour the team played in during those matches. Seriously, though, all I know is that my lucky blue pants have to be cleaned. I'm supposed to pick them up from the dry cleaners tomorrow. Hopefully there are no hitches.

How do you plan to prepare for the Europa League final? How will you approach the final Bundesliga game against Mainz at the MEWA Arena on Saturday?

Right now, it’s like preparing for passing your A-levels. There is no sense in learning all day in the very last remaining days before the tests. It is important to relax and not to get too tense. You are either prepared or you’re not prepared. We should stick to our plans and strengths. We mustn't cramp up. The players have had two days off so they can be in a good state of mind. They have recovered well. Now, though, we start the countdown to the final. We won't rotate against Mainz (Eintracht play their local rivals away in their final Bundesliga game tomorrow) because our players have to be in the rhythm. We want to use the Mainz game as a dress rehearsal. I haven’t called Bo (Mainz manager Svensson) and said: ‘Can you please impersonate the Rangers?’. But the focus is on Seville. We're all really looking forward to this final.

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Jesper Lindstrom hasn’t played since going off injured against West Ham in London last month. Will he be able to play in the final?

The medical department is working at full speed. I don't want to make a forecast just yet. A plan will be decided in the last two days. With Lindström it will be a photo finish. He could play, he might not play. But we are still optimistic. If there is a guy who is better than him in his current shape, he won't play. But if Lindstrom is better in his shape, Lindström will start. It is easy as that.

What do you think about your Europa League final opponents Rangers?

They have eliminated two Bundesliga clubs, Dortmund and Leipzig. And their wins were fully deserved. In fact, I haven't seen Leipzig in such big trouble as they were in the first-half of the second leg game against Rangers in Glasgow. They are incredibly strong in one-on-one combat, they break up front rapidly and bring the ball quickly into the penalty area. They are very flexible with their formation, switch from three chain to five chain or also use the four chain in the build-up. They have a very structured approach to the game. It's going to be a 50-50 game. Both teams deserve to be in the final.

What do you like about Rafel Borre (Eintracht’s Colombian striker)?

He is very important for our game. He has a fantastic mentality, he is working so hard. He has also scored very important goals, like the game winner against West Ham. I think he has now double double – more than 10 goals and more than 10 assists. With the ball, he is very important for us. When we are attacking he works very hard for the team. He has had a great season, a great first season, with us.

What about Tuta (Eintracht’s Brazilian defender)? He was out of the squad at one point. But he played in the middle of the midfield three against West Ham?

He played his first half year before I came. Then in the summer when he came back from Brazil he had to go into quarantine for two weeks because of the coronavirus restrictions at that time. So he missed more than half of our pre-season. He was not in such good shape physically and I also think mentally. He didn’t play well. I talked to him. I said: ‘Okay, you have to work hard. We believe in you, we believe in your skills, but you have to show it at another level’. We were always talking to him, we helped him, we gave him some tips on how he could improve. He was always open-minded and worked hard. I thought: ‘He is ready again’. His first game was against Bayern in Munich and we won there for the first time in more than 20 years. Since then, he got more confidence and has played a really great season. His is doing very well and is working hard for the future and can go to the next level.

You will become the first Austrian manager to win a European trophy since Ernst Happel led Hamburg to the European Cup in 1983 if Eintracht Frankfurt win. What will that mean to you?

I get too much about Happel from my homeland. A lot of journalists get in touch and tell me that. It's nice to have, but it doesn't really change my life. It’s a tribute to what the team has achieved. I haven't played a second.