Kevin Trappa 31-year-old goalkeeper for Eintracht Frankfurt, appeared in the Camp Nou press room prior to the second leg of the quarterfinals of the Europa League knowing that they were going to make him talk about his saddest night as a goalkeeper: the 6-1 he conceded against Barça in the PSG goal in the 2016-17 Champions League. In perfect Spanish, he faced the ‘traumatic’ memory with maturity and elegance.
“I do not think what happened here for five years, only I focus on the current game because it is a big challenge. I have to concentrate on our work. It is a party different to that. One big difference is that then in the first leg had won (4-0) and forced different approaches in the second leg by the two teams. We are clear that we are going to suffer a lot, but we know that we have the strength to go through to the semi-finals”, he explained.
The German international is clear that “the Barça You know not to underestimate us. Not only because of the first leg, but because we have shown many times in the past that we can hold our own against great opponents away from home.”
He stated that “everyone is very well prepared and looking forward to the match. These are the days for which you exercise this profession: a decisive duel in this great stadium. But one thing is clear: we want to move on. It’s a great incentive, we’re really looking forward to it and we know we’ll have to play even better than last week”.
He valued the support of thousands of German fans who will be at the Camp Nou: “In Frankfurt there is only one theme: this game. Everyone talks to us about it and congratulates us on leaving. We greatly appreciate that people have been able to come, it will be a fantastic game and we are excited that people assume risks and costs to come. For us it means a lot. It’s an extra force that we need.”
Asked about the most fearsome Barcelona fans, he pointed out that “Barça is a great team that has gone 15 games or so without losing and has great individual quality. They have players who can do a lot of things. Ferran he marked us in the first leg, there are the youngsters Pedri and Gavi…, but or more important is our concentration”.
Regarding a possible penalty shootout, he pointed out that “if it happens, I don’t know who will be on the field, I do know the possible shooters during the match, but I don’t have a piece of paper in the media like Lehmann. The majority of penalties that I have saved are due to trusting my sensations.”
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