Bensebaini: "We'll be ready for Borussia Dortmund"

Sitting down with bundesliga.com, the 25-year-old discusses his first season in the Bundesliga, his thoughts on fans returning to various stadiums across the league and how he and his teammates are preparing to face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening...

bundesliga.com: Fans will be allowed back in the stadium for your next game against Dortmund. Although only opposition fans. Is that a good or a bad thing for your team?

Ramy Bensebaini: "No, I think it's a good thing – both for us and for them, of course. It's always better to have supporters present at football matches, rather than play eleven players against eleven players. It feels like a friendly match. It's more important to have supporters there."

bundesliga.com: How much are you looking forward to fans returning to the stadiums?

Bensebaini: "I had not heard this update. But I think it will do all the teams a lot of good. For us personally, too. Yes, I think it's a good idea."

bundesliga.com: Are you looking forward to hearing the passionate Gladbach fans once again?

Bensebaini: "Yes, it will do us a lot of good. We have played two friendly matches here at home and there weren't any supporters present. It wasn't great. We're looking forward to seeing them again and hope they are back for our next games."

Watch: Ramy Bensebaini's roots

bundesliga.com: You have a huge opening fixture against Dortmund. Is it poor timing for such an important game or is it nice to start the season with a challenge like that?

Bensebaini: "No, as I said before, all matches are difficult to prepare for and to play in. We all know Borussia Dortmund and we know that they're a team who play good football. Our first match of the season is Dortmund away from home. It'll be difficult of course, but we have worked hard to prepare. I hope, and I'm sure, that we'll be ready."

bundesliga.com: You featured in Gladbach's last game against Dortmund, a 2-1 defeat. What are your memories of that game?

Bensebaini: "I remember it very well. They made it 1-0, I believe, and then we equalised. We had lots of chances to score a second, but we didn't manage to do so. At the end of the match, we conceded a second. It was a difficult match for us, I hope we'll be able to learn from our mistakes and not make the same mistakes on Saturday."

bundesliga.com: How would you sum up your first year at Mönchengladbach?

Bensebaini: "My first year has gone well, very well in fact. I feel at home here, I have settled in very quickly. I get on well with everyone. It has gone well on the pitch as well – I have scored five goals and got three assists. It has been a good start for me."