Andrej Kramaric: “I am ready for the new season”

How is your German coming along, Andrej?

Andrej Kramaric: I can already understand quite a lot and my speaking is improving all the time. I still prefer to give interviews in English, though.

How are you finding the region? Have you found somewhere to live yet?

Kramaric: I am really enjoying it here. I feel comfortable. At the moment I am still living in the hotel, but I have found a flat in Heidelberg. I still have a few things to organise and will move to my own place in September, which I am looking forward to.

The Bundesliga finally restarts on Sunday, what are you looking forward to most?

Kramaric: More than anything I am just excited for the season to begin. The start of the new campaign always provides the chance to do something new, we have new players and this will be my first full season in the Bundesliga, and of course I am looking forward to that. I hope that we can do better than we did than last season and Sunday is a great opportunity for us to get going and get a win for the fans. I am ready for the new season and I hope that we will have a good year.

Three goals in your first game – a pretty good start to the year…

Kramaric: It was of course fantastic to get a hat-trick in the first competitive game in the season. But I was not so happy after the game. I could have scored three more goals and I always want to do the best I possibly can. I hope also that on Sunday I can take the chances I get again.

This will be your first complete season in the Bundesliga, what are you looking to achieve?

Kramaric: I have ideas in my mind, but I will not say what they are. I do not want to set expectations too high and end up disappointing myself, the team or the fans. So I will keep my ambitions to myself. But it is obvious that we want to have a better season than last year. We must be completely focussed on every game, starting on Sunday. Then the next game, then the next game after that. After the first match we will see what kind of level we are at, and where we are placed for the season ahead.

Your first game of the season is against a newly promoted side – what do you know about RB Leipzig?

Kramaric: I have seen a few of their games, and that they won the majority of their games in the B. Bundesliga. They play good football, they have a good team and a new coach. It will be a difficult game on Sunday. It is important that we score the first goal and come away with the three points. Plus, a win in our first game would do a lot for our confidence. 

What do you think would be the perfect outcome from Sunday_

Kramaric: The perfect result on Sunday would be a win with me scoring.

How do you find playing alongside a striker of the style of Sandro Wagner?

Kramaric: I can play well next to him. Every player in our team has something special, something specific to them. At the end the coach decides who will start. Sandro has showed already that he will be very important for our team. He holds the ball in the forward positions really well and is always good for a goal.

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