Lukas Klostermann has been to Berlin and the final of the DFB-Pokal twice with RB Leipzig, losing both times: The 2019 final ended in a 3-0 defeat against FC Bayern, the 2021 final 4-1 to Borussia Dortmund. In Saturday’s domestic season-finale, the Germany international will look to finally secure the cup against SC Freiburg (20:00 CEST). In an interview with DFB.de’s Oliver Jensen, the 25-year-old defender spoke about the final and his personal connection to Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
DFB.de: Mr. Klostermann, have you heard the old saying that all things come in threes?
Lukas Klostermann: Yes, I have.
DFB.de: So, you lost the 2019 DFB-Pokal final with RB Leipzig against FC Bayern München, and then the 2021 final to Borussia Dortmund…
Klostermann: Yes, that’s true, but I’m not looking back to the past today. My eyes are focused forward on the game against Freiburg. Every Bundesliga player dreams of playing in the DFB-Pokal final, but we want to finish the job with a happy ending this time round.
DFB.de: Would you say you have an bit of an advantage, having already experienced the atmosphere of a final?
Klostermann: That might be a tiny advantage which we can use for our own gain, but we’ve also had a fantastic atmosphere in every stadium playing in the Bundesliga this season.
DFB.de: Every Bundesliga club plays at the Olympiastadion at least once a season, yourself included, when RB Leipzig play Hertha BSC away there. How is the atmosphere different in a cup final than in a regular league game there?
Klostermann: The atmosphere in a sold-out stadium, in a cup final, is a lot more special and passionate. The whole buildup to the game is incomparable with any other – you can really feel the excitement ahead of the game. Even the media presence around the place is completely different, but you have to put those things to one side, concentrate on the game and do the most important thing – win it!
DFB.de: Is the excitement for you personally ahead of the Pokal final bigger than ahead of a Bundesliga game?
Klostermann: It probably is just before the game, but not when I’m out on the pitch. I’m so focused and in my own zone that I don’t think about anything other than playing the game.
DFB.de: Were you secretly a bit happy that both FC Bayern and BVB were knocked out of the cup early, so you couldn’t face them in the final again?
Klostermann: I’m not really sure, to be honest. There is always a shock in the DFB-Pokal every season, when an underdog kicks out one of the favourites. The fact that both Bayern and Dortmund met the same fate is definitely not a disadvantage for us, but Freiburg are still a fantastic side to be facing, and it won’t be any easier to play them than it would anyone else.
DFB.de: Do you feel like the favourites this time, when perhaps your opponents would have been in your previous finals?
Klostermann: I don’t really think about that too much, really; we just want to win the game. As I said, we know how different the final is to any other game, so we can focus on it fully without being overawed. We want to put the best possible performance in and hopefully bring the cup back to Leipzig.
DFB.de: Do you get the sense that the hunger for the first major honour in the club’s history is big back in Leipzig?
Klostermann: Yes, you really do feel that – I feel it myself. It’s a really big chance.
DFB.de: RB Leipzig are unbeaten in their last five games against Freiburg. However, each of the two meetings in the league this season ended in a 1-1 draw. What do you make of Freiburg as a team?
Klostermann: Freiburg will be a very tough opponent. They have had a great season in the Bundesliga and have brought their best performances consistently. We know what they are capable of. They definitely deserve to be in the final.
DFB.de: In an interview with Sport Bild, Nils Petersen said that “a lot of people in Germany will be hoping for a Freiburg win.” Do you also think that?
Klostermann: We want to win the trophy for everyone who supports us. I’m sure that that’s not just a few people. I’m not worried that we won’t have enough support in the stadium.
DFB.de: Is the Olympiastadion a special place for you personally, having competed in the “Germany sucht den Supersprinter” – “Germany’s next super sprinter” and won on four occasions?
Klostermann: A little bit, but that’s a long time ago. But it was still a special experience at the time. It would be really nice to celebrate anther success there on Saturday evening.
DFB.de: Can you describe what the competition was about?
Klostermann: It was an event that took place as part of the ISTAF (Internationales Stadionfest) sports festival. You could qualify for the race at 15 different locations across Germany and in around five different age groups. The race was a 30-metre sprint. The ten children with the best scores could then go off to Berlin. I can remember the Olympiastadion being almost sold out at one of my races. You can’t look too much into my wins there because not everyone in the country competed. I was ten years old the first time I took part. It’s still a really special feeling to run at the Olympiastadion, it’s just that nowadays I have a ball at my feet. (laughs)
DFB.de: RB Leipzig have had a bit of a turbulent season which got off to a bad start under the head coach at the time, Jesse Marsch. The second half of the season has been a completely different picture under Domenico Tedesco. Looking back, how do you explain that?
Klostermann: What sticks out to me most is that in the end we managed to qualify for the Champions League and had the best Rückrunde campaign of anyone in the league. After an inconsistent first half of the season, not many people would have expected that of us. I think a few people had already written us off. We didn’t show what we were capable off enough. There were definitely some good performances where we just didn’t come away with the result we wanted. We did that well in the second half of the season; it shows that the team can deal with setbacks.
DFB.de: If you had managed to play with as much consistency in the first half of the season as you did in the second, you could have been the champions…
Klostermann: Yeah, maybe we could have been. (laughs)
DFB.de: Let’s finish off by talking about the national team. How confident are you when looking ahead to the World Cup in Qatar?
Klostermann: That’s some way off at the moment. At the moment we have the Nations League fixtures in the summer. Those will provide some important preparation for the World Cup. I’d be really happy to be in the World Cup squad.
DFB.de: What do you make of the group with Spain, Japan and Costa Rica or New Zealand?
Klostermann: I didn’t have any favoured opponent, but I think we can definitely manage to get through that group.
created by mmc/lc/bh
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Lukas Klostermann has been to Berlin and the final of the DFB-Pokal twice with RB Leipzig, losing both times: The 2019 final ended in a 3-0 defeat against FC Bayern, the 2021 final 4-1 to Borussia Dortmund. In Saturday’s domestic season-finale, the Germany international will look to finally secure the cup against SC Freiburg (20:00 CEST). In an interview with DFB.de’s Oliver Jensen, the 25-year-old defender spoke about the final and his personal connection to Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
DFB.de: Mr. Klostermann, have you heard the old saying that all things come in threes?
Lukas Klostermann: Yes, I have.
DFB.de: So, you lost the 2019 DFB-Pokal final with RB Leipzig against FC Bayern München, and then the 2021 final to Borussia Dortmund…
Klostermann: Yes, that’s true, but I’m not looking back to the past today. My eyes are focused forward on the game against Freiburg. Every Bundesliga player dreams of playing in the DFB-Pokal final, but we want to finish the job with a happy ending this time round.
DFB.de: Would you say you have an bit of an advantage, having already experienced the atmosphere of a final?
Klostermann: That might be a tiny advantage which we can use for our own gain, but we’ve also had a fantastic atmosphere in every stadium playing in the Bundesliga this season.
DFB.de: Every Bundesliga club plays at the Olympiastadion at least once a season, yourself included, when RB Leipzig play Hertha BSC away there. How is the atmosphere different in a cup final than in a regular league game there?
Klostermann: The atmosphere in a sold-out stadium, in a cup final, is a lot more special and passionate. The whole buildup to the game is incomparable with any other – you can really feel the excitement ahead of the game. Even the media presence around the place is completely different, but you have to put those things to one side, concentrate on the game and do the most important thing – win it!
DFB.de: Is the excitement for you personally ahead of the Pokal final bigger than ahead of a Bundesliga game?
Klostermann: It probably is just before the game, but not when I’m out on the pitch. I’m so focused and in my own zone that I don’t think about anything other than playing the game.
DFB.de: Were you secretly a bit happy that both FC Bayern and BVB were knocked out of the cup early, so you couldn’t face them in the final again?
Klostermann: I’m not really sure, to be honest. There is always a shock in the DFB-Pokal every season, when an underdog kicks out one of the favourites. The fact that both Bayern and Dortmund met the same fate is definitely not a disadvantage for us, but Freiburg are still a fantastic side to be facing, and it won’t be any easier to play them than it would anyone else.
DFB.de: Do you feel like the favourites this time, when perhaps your opponents would have been in your previous finals?
Klostermann: I don’t really think about that too much, really; we just want to win the game. As I said, we know how different the final is to any other game, so we can focus on it fully without being overawed. We want to put the best possible performance in and hopefully bring the cup back to Leipzig.
DFB.de: Do you get the sense that the hunger for the first major honour in the club’s history is big back in Leipzig?
Klostermann: Yes, you really do feel that – I feel it myself. It’s a really big chance.
DFB.de: RB Leipzig are unbeaten in their last five games against Freiburg. However, each of the two meetings in the league this season ended in a 1-1 draw. What do you make of Freiburg as a team?
Klostermann: Freiburg will be a very tough opponent. They have had a great season in the Bundesliga and have brought their best performances consistently. We know what they are capable of. They definitely deserve to be in the final.
DFB.de: In an interview with Sport Bild, Nils Petersen said that “a lot of people in Germany will be hoping for a Freiburg win.” Do you also think that?
Klostermann: We want to win the trophy for everyone who supports us. I’m sure that that’s not just a few people. I’m not worried that we won’t have enough support in the stadium.
DFB.de: Is the Olympiastadion a special place for you personally, having competed in the “Germany sucht den Supersprinter” – “Germany’s next super sprinter” and won on four occasions?
Klostermann: A little bit, but that’s a long time ago. But it was still a special experience at the time. It would be really nice to celebrate anther success there on Saturday evening.
DFB.de: Can you describe what the competition was about?
Klostermann: It was an event that took place as part of the ISTAF (Internationales Stadionfest) sports festival. You could qualify for the race at 15 different locations across Germany and in around five different age groups. The race was a 30-metre sprint. The ten children with the best scores could then go off to Berlin. I can remember the Olympiastadion being almost sold out at one of my races. You can’t look too much into my wins there because not everyone in the country competed. I was ten years old the first time I took part. It’s still a really special feeling to run at the Olympiastadion, it’s just that nowadays I have a ball at my feet. (laughs)
DFB.de: RB Leipzig have had a bit of a turbulent season which got off to a bad start under the head coach at the time, Jesse Marsch. The second half of the season has been a completely different picture under Domenico Tedesco. Looking back, how do you explain that?
Klostermann: What sticks out to me most is that in the end we managed to qualify for the Champions League and had the best Rückrunde campaign of anyone in the league. After an inconsistent first half of the season, not many people would have expected that of us. I think a few people had already written us off. We didn’t show what we were capable off enough. There were definitely some good performances where we just didn’t come away with the result we wanted. We did that well in the second half of the season; it shows that the team can deal with setbacks.
DFB.de: If you had managed to play with as much consistency in the first half of the season as you did in the second, you could have been the champions…
Klostermann: Yeah, maybe we could have been. (laughs)
DFB.de: Let’s finish off by talking about the national team. How confident are you when looking ahead to the World Cup in Qatar?
Klostermann: That’s some way off at the moment. At the moment we have the Nations League fixtures in the summer. Those will provide some important preparation for the World Cup. I’d be really happy to be in the World Cup squad.
DFB.de: What do you make of the group with Spain, Japan and Costa Rica or New Zealand?
Klostermann: I didn’t have any favoured opponent, but I think we can definitely manage to get through that group.
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