Bicakcic: “We’re not going to Munich for a bit of fun”

First of all, we wish you a happy birthday! How will you be celebrating turning 28?

Ermin Bicakcic: “We’re all done for training today, so I’ll be heading home to family soon to have a quiet one and celebrate with them. The boys made sure to wish me a happy birthday earlier. They teased me a little bit - at 28 I’m one of the older ones (laughs). I’ll bring a few things along in the next couple days. Last year, I brought a few specialties from my home country, but I’ll have a look at what I’ll take this time around.”

Let’s take a look back. The first half of the season didn’t really go to plan for you...

Bicakcic: “I unfortunately had to take quite a lot of time off due to my knee injury. It was a difficult time for me. The team was scheduled to play a lot of games and I could only look on, not being able to help. Sometimes you have to go through that as a professional player. I put everything I could into my rehab process in order to come back stronger than ever.”

You’ve been in the starting XI twice in succession to kick off the Rückrunde. How were you feeling going into those games?

Bicakcic: “I’ve really enjoyed getting back out there with the boys. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to give my all again. I want to make sure that we’re successful as a team going forward. Our start to the Rückrunde hasn’t gone as planned, but we’ll continue to work hard to get back in stride.”

You recently said in an interview that football has changed you a lot. Why do you say that?

Bicakcic: “I’m expected to a lot of different things now as a full back in comparison to when I first became a professional seven or eight years ago. I’m asked to go forward a lot more and it’s not just about defending and winning the ball back. That said, it’s been a lot of fun developing my game in different ways. Julian Nagelsmann especially has a lot of ideas that are unique. He always has something to say, so I try to absorb it all like a sponge and continue getting better.”

That’ll be especially important on Saturday in the hardest game of the season...

Bicakcic: “There are no easy games in the Bundesliga, but an away trip to Bayern Munich is always something different. They’re unbelievably strong and are probably the only side whose second choice XI has arguably as much quality as the first. They’re going from strength to strength at the moment and will be difficult to beat. Since Jupp Heynckes was appointed as manager, they have got even better. It seems that the old Bayern is back.”

Last year, however, you won both games against the record champions.

Bicakcic: “Absolutely. We played really well in both games last year. We were the underdogs going into the games as well. At the end of the day, it’s just a game of football - eleven players against eleven. We will see who comes out on top. The most important thing to know is that we’re not going to Munich for a bit of fun, we want to come away with something. If that wasn’t the case, I’d just spend the afternoon at home with my family.”

Which Bayern striker would you rather play against: Robert Lewandowski or Sandro Wagner?

Bicakcic: “That really doesn’t matter to me. I don’t have any friends when I’m playing. I can catch up with Sandro, Niki and Basti after the game, but I’ve got a job to do on the pitch. Friendships are forgotten about.”

How can you beat Bayern once again on Saturday?

Bicakcic: “We know very well how strong Bayern are, we know that we can’t defend everything they do, but we also know that we can win this game if we play perfectly. Julian and his coaching staff have laid out their tactical plan for the game, now we have to go out there and put it into action. To do that we need to be fully focused and play with passion.”

Match facts and statistics »

Download Now!