Guido Burgstaller: Great fun in the Nordkurve

Guido, congratulations on the win! The three points were certainly hard-earned. Why did the team struggle for so long against Freiburg?

Freiburg gave us very little space to work with. For us strikers, that’s everything other than pleasant, so we reacted during the break and made a few changes. Of course Nils Petersen’s sending off played into our hands. With one more man on the pitch than our opponents, we did a great job and deserved the win in the end.

You were praised loudly by the fans in the Nordkurve after the game…

I had absolutely no idea what was going on initially. Ralf Fährmann then told me that I should come to the Nordkurve. It was the my first time there and I can say that it was amazing fun. I could get used to that (laughs).

Does this show of appreciation do you good?

I always say that I feel on top of the world here and that I enjoy wearing the Schalke jersey. I’m thankful for all the support. It’s an indescribable feeling when the fans are standing behind you.

One thing couldn’t be missed in the ‘Burgstaller’ chants – the fans are already thinking about the derby!

Of course the derby is already in the back of their minds, because it always has such great importance for the people of this region. We also absolutely want to win the derby, of course. However, we have play Hamburg before the derby. I think that will be a tough game. Our opponents will presumably be looking for their last chance in the relegation battle and will make our lives difficult. We have to be patient there as well.

The team will travel north to Hamburg with six consecutive Bundesliga victories in the bag. That’s a club record. How confident are the players at the moment?

For sure, that gives us a confidence boost as a team. Because everything becomes easier when you win. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that our focus drops. To the contrary, we’re still hungry and we want to continue the run we’re on for as long as possible.

The table is looking great right now. As the current runners-up in the table, you have a really good chance to play on the European stage again next year. What do you think of the current situation?

We know that we have to give 100 percent in each and every game. If you take a look at our remaining fixtures this season, they’re not easy – there are some big challenges ahead for us. If we maintain our focus, remain patient and use our chances, I’m confident that we can end the season successfully.