Daniel Baier: "We're all chasing a common goal"

The international weekend has come to pass, and the FCA boys shift their focus onto Saturday’s encounter in Leverkusen. Captain Daniel Baier spoke to us ahead of the final stretch of the Bundesliga season. We haven’t seen a lot of Daniel Baier on the training pitches in the last week: Due to a foot infection, the 33-year-old has been spending his time with the club physio to avoid putting any strain on his foot. "It’s nothing serious – I hope to be back fully involved in training again later this week," Baier assured us on Monday afternoon. For the captain and the rest of the team, the international break came at the right time; everyone made use of the time off, either to train, or to recuperate. The players will now be focusing on the game in Leverkusen: "They have great quality and we’ve always found it difficult there in recent years. On Saturday we want to come away with something and we now we need to improve," said Baier. The Köln-born midfielder is not alone in replaying the recent games in his head – the ups and downs of late gives Baum’s men the chance to think about what exactly makes them so strong. "We’re all chasing a common goal and everyone is there for one another. Our defence isn’t easy to play against – we’re aggressive, and this will be important on Saturday. We need to try and keep the ball," said the captain. Seven games to go These ups and downs are no new experience for Daniel Baier: "Especially given our situation now - coming towards the end of the season with several injuries – this kind of rollercoaster experience is normal. You can’t put in a top performance every week, even if we’d like to. After a game like the one against Bremen, we’re not going to be pleased with ourselves," said Baier in his analysis of recent games. The 40-point mark isn’t an absolute target for him: "We have another seven games to pick up points and even if and when we reach this aim, we don’t stop there – the season doesn’t end until full time in the last match," added Baier.