Kerem Demirbay: “We want a perfect start”

Kerem, we’re six games into the season now, and you were in the starting eleven for five of those encounters. How satisfied are you with your start to the new season?

Kerem Demirbay: I think as a team we’re very pleased with our start to the season, apart from the Champions League playoff of course. We’re in the second round of the cup and we’re also second in the Bundesliga table, even if there’s still a long way to go. So yeah, fundamentally I’m happy with how things have gone so far, but I still think that I can do more to help the team by scoring more goals and getting more assists. So for me there’s definitely room for improvement.

Last Saturday, Hoffenheim came away with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich. What are your takeaways from the game?

Kerem Demirbay: More than anything it really has boosted confidence. It was the first game since the international break, and Bayern are clearly a world class team. The win shows that we can compete at the highest level, and it really gives us some good momentum going into our next few games. It would have been so much harder to start well in the Europa league this week if we were coming off the back of a defeat. Three points against Bayern is the perfect way to start what is an intense part of the season. I also think that the game showed we’re a force at home. Hopefully we can show that again in the next few games.

Your next chance comes this Thursday in the Europa League against Braga. Do you know much about them?

Kerem Demirbay: I know of the club, but I don’t really know anything specifically about how they play or how they’ll go into this game. But like usual, Julian and his team will be preparing us intensively for the game from Tuesday evening. We have the necessary respect for our opponents and the task at hand, but at the same time - how do I say this - we’re also confident and playing at home.

What aims do you have for the first game and the group stage as a whole?

Kerem Demirbay: We want to win in front of our fans on Thursday, and get our campaign off to the perfect start. We obviously want to do well enough to reach the knockout stages of the competition. That’s our first goal for the Europa league.

Beyond that, Hertha BSC will also be visiting Sinsheim this Sunday. Are you thinking much about the team from the capital?

Kerem Demirbay: Yeah, they’re in the back of my mind, because I know that there isn’t much time between the two games. But it’s not a problem. It doesn’t bother me in the lead up to the Europa league game. The focus is only on Braga in that time. On the pitch Hertha won’t play any sort of role, so as a footballer you really do have to live in the moment and be highly focused on what’s in front of you.

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