Andreas Beck: "I want to see everyone happy"

Hello Andi. With another busy week behind you, are you satisfied with how it went?

Andreas Beck: Satisfied isn't always the right word in football, because you always want to do as best as possible. That hasn't happened for us and the last result sticks with you. In this case it was the game against Schalke and we were therefore somewhat disappointed. Looking back at the whole week, the win against Mainz was very important for us. We're also through to the next round of the cup, which is very nice. The week was okay; not great, but not terrible.

Since the turn of the new year, the team have only collected one point away from home. Why aren't things going as well as they do when you play at home?

Beck: Just like other teams we have certain strengths when playing at home. Other clubs struggle when they come to us and likewise when we go to them. Every team wants to make the most of their home advantage. When that happens it can be very difficult for the away side. We want to nurture our strengths at home and build on them to make sure we take three points from those games. That said, we also need to try and take points from away games by at least avoiding defeat or even going for an upset. The most important thing is to come home with points.

On Saturday you face a steely Hamburg side, threatened by relegation, but you can play to your home advantage. What will you be focusing on?

Beck: I think the game will be similar to the one against Mainz and in Freiburg and it will carry a similar theme to the game against Stuttgart. Our opponents are battling against relegation and will fight for their lives as a result. It may well be that the game has many disruptions so we will have to be patient with our attack.

Apart from the title race, the Bundesliga is very tight as it nears the end of the season. Does that make the league more attractive?

Beck: In the last few years it has often been the case that there are two runaway teams, mainly Bayern and Dortmund. This year it's Bayern and Wolfsburg. Everything else below them is incredibly tight, for both the European places and in the relegation battle. The higher the quality of the teams, the more competitive and tighter the league becomes. The league is also gaining popularity internationally, as we saw yesterday once again when Schalke beat Real Madrid in the Champions League. It's a shame that they couldn't go through despite a brilliant performance.

It's your birthday on Friday. Other than a win, what else would make it a perfect day for you?

Beck: Birthdays aren't so meaningful for me anymore. However, it would still be great if we could end the week positively. Then everyone will be happy – the players, the manager, the club and the fans. Other than that, I wouldn't complain about some nice weather.

A DFB Cup quarterfinal in Dortmund. What are your thoughts on that?

Beck: In the quarterfinals you are almost always going to face a tough side. We are the underdogs in Dortmund. Maybe you can talk about “David and Goliath”. BVB will definitely be looking at the cup as an avenue to Europe. We are looking forward to the game and want to be a difficult opponent for Dortmund. I'm also looking forward to playing in front of 80,000 fans. It's a great experience.

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