After the match vs. Ufa, Axel Witsel dispelled any rumors about his health, and painted a colorful picture of his former teammates at Standard.
— Do you know yet whether you`re going to be able to play against Standard?
• I don`t know yet, but I hope that they`ll let me play. I think it`s unlikely that they would want to give me another game suspension.
— But either way you`re still going?
• Yeah, I am definitely going. It`s my city, that`s where my family and fans live.
— Is there a big difference between the Standard in 2011, when you left and today`s team?
• Well about four or five of their best players left Standard to play in larger European Leagues. So now they aren`t as strong as they used to be, but that doesn`t matter for us. We still need to be careful and be very prepared. It`s not going to be easy playing against them. But if we play at our own level, we`ll be able to do well.
— There are still a few players there from your days with Standard. What can you say about them?
• Laurent Ciman, a good friend of mine, is a very solid center midfielder. We played together for our national team. I grew up with Carcela-González, I`ve known him since I was nine years old. He`s also very strong, but I don`t know if he`ll be able to play since he might be injured. M`Poku and Bia are both great players. Van Damme is the captain and is a real fighter, always going hard right up until the very end. De Camargo is a veteran, but is still excellent. In the last game Standard lost 5:2, but he had an excellent goal.
— What kind of reception are you expecting from Standard`s fans?
• I`m a kid from Liége. I`m sure that they`ll be happy to see me again.
— Standard`s fans are thought to be a bit crazy. Are they going to be a major factor during the match?
• They are a bit crazy, but so are ours, so it`s going to be a great environment. Both sides are going to be singing their hearts out, so it`ll be great!
