Outgoing Eintracht Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner said on Friday he would not think about his future “until the final whistle” ahead of Saturday’s German Cup final clash with RB Leipzig.
Glasner, who led Frankfurt to last season’s Europa League triumph, was sacked in May, but the club let him stay on until after Saturday’s final.
“I don’t think it will matter for me until the final whistle,” Glasner said in Berlin on Friday, “I had enough to do, Leipzig kept me busy.”
“I will enjoy the evening,” said the Austrian manager. “Tomorrow’s game is important, not Oliver Glasner.”
Frankfurt’s Europa League win took them into the Champions League for the first time in their history this season.
Despite finishing seventh in the league this season, a win on Saturday would see them qualify for the Europa League once more.
Frankfurt are chasing their sixth German Cup title, which would tie Werder Bremen for the second-most titles behind Bayern Munich’s 20.
Sitting next to the golden trophy at Friday’s news conference, Glassner took a look at it and told reporters “everyone wants to take it home — it’s the same for everyone”.
Born on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Eintracht captain Sebastian Roed said he has positive memories of the finals, which he won with Bayern in 2016 and Dortmund in 2017.
“It brings back good memories, I’ve been here twice and won both times.”
Glasner’s side face holders Leipzig, who lifted their first major piece of silverware last year by beating Freiburg on penalties.
Leipzig manager Marco Rose, who was installed mid-season and has not coached the Red Bulls to the title in 2022, said: “We’re here to win the thing — we want to get to that final step.”
Rose said his side will not be overwhelmed despite facing a potentially strong Frankfurt crowd in the German capital.
Frankfurt fans are known to travel, buying an estimated 25,000 tickets for a game at Barcelona’s Camp Nou.
“We know Frankfurt fans are an innovative team and find ways to get their tickets, but we’ve experienced something like this before,” Rose said.
“We will also have some Leipzig fans in the stadium.”