Karaman: "It's in our own hands"

Kenan, the English week is over. You took four points from the three matches. How do you assess that tally?

"It's a decent tally, even though we should've won in Cologne. We subsequently showed in the home game against Schalke what we're made of and that we're capable of getting the result. We've played some very good football over the course of the past few weeks, aside from the match away to Bayern Munich last Saturday. I'm very optimistic with regard to the five remaining matches of the season."

For you personally, the second half of the season has gone extraordinarily well. You've scored five goals – including two last week – in seven games. How do you assess your own performances?

"As a striker, you're always happy when you can help your team by scoring goals. I've managed that in the past few weeks. I made a very good comeback following my illness and I want to be there for the team. Following my return, my aim was to really go all out and make my own contribution to the relegation battle by scoring goals."

You missed almost half of this season due to pneumonia. How difficult has it been for you not being on the pitch?

"It was a very difficult time. I watched our matches on television for almost four months. That meant I was unable to help the team. But I've also been working enormously hard during this period and tried to take lots of positives from what was a negative situation."

With five matches remaining, you currently sit in 16th place on 27 points. How do you see your chances of beating the drop?

"It's in our own hands. We have five cup finals coming up. It goes without saying that it won't be an easy task, but I'm confident we'll have our opportunities in every match. Our squad has great character. That makes me feel very positive that we can beat the drop."

In the second half of the season, Uwe Rösler took over the coaching reins from Friedhelm Funkel. What has changed at Fortuna since then?

"The new coach injected new momentum into our team from day one. He gave us new self-belief immediately in an enormously difficult period. He places a lot of emphasis on communication; he tries to focus on every player and make them better. That has been well received by the team, hence why we've worked so well together."

On Saturday you're up against TSG Hoffenheim. What kind of match are you expecting and is it a special game for you?

"It'll be a meeting of equals. My belief is that small details will decide the game. I really like playing against Hoffenheim; I spent my whole youth at the club and attended the boarding school there. I became a professional at TSG and I'm always delighted to be reunited with familiar faces from that period."

Almost 10 years ago exactly, you moved into the player accommodation in Hoffenheim with Niklas Süle, among others. What are your memories of that time?

"I have fond memories. I can remember vividly that the boarding school was reopened and that we were the first players who moved into it. We had a lot of funny moments, and in Rüdiger Becker we had an outstanding supervisor who always provided us with support. The same applies to the then academy director Alexander Rosen, who definitely got annoyed with us from time to time, but always supported us."

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