Bodiac reported that Ekitic didn't play for a minute in the warm-up match in Frankfurt, probably because he was afraid of being injured before the transfer.

Before the game, when the team bus arrived, fans shouted Ekitic's name to greet him, and when he warmed up on the sidelines in the 30th minute, the audience cheered. However, due to injury concerns, the original appearance plan was finally cancelled and the fans failed to witness the performance of the beloved player.