Hamburger SV may have flirted with automatic relegation to the second tier in recent weeks but by beating FC Schalke 04 2-0 the clock continues to tick, but veteran defender Heiko Westermann is cautious to celebrate just yet, with the club's two-legged play-off decider just around the corner.
Speaking after Saturday's vital win, the 31-year-old discussed what he thinks will make the difference in the upcoming games with Bundesliga 2 side Karlsruher SC who were themselves just beaten by Darmstadt to automatic promotion.
Question: Heiko Westermann, how are you feeling after such a tiring game at home to your former side Schalke ?
Heiko Westermann: I'm already thinking about Thursday, I'm already a step ahead. The whole team is focused on Thursday. We'll now try to prepare well and regroup.
Question: How difficult was it playing knowing other teams would ultimaely decide your fate ?
Westermann: We knew before the game that we had a great chance if we won and we deserved to win. We've picked up ten points in the last five games. We believed in ourselves as a team, even when plenty of others had lost faith. We're feeling good going into the relegation play-off.
Question: Just like last season, HSV have to go through the relegation play-off. What are you anticipating will happen on Thursday?
Westermann: The important thing is that we've shown solidarity in recent weeks and kept our nerve. They're the two most important things.
Question: Ivica Olic got the decisive breakthrough when he made it 1-0 with another goal that came about from a set-pice.
Westermann: Obviously it was a really important goal, but we know we can do better from free kicks. We made something good out of one that wasn't all that great (laughs).
Question: How much did the fans support encourage you? The most dedicated ones watched you on the bus to the stadium before the game.
Westermann: That was really moving. We had goosebumps on the bus.
Question: Did you hear of any other scores whilst playing?
Westermann: No, I didn't hear a thing. After I was substituted, I was constantly checking what was going on in the other games.
Question: How tense was the situation going into a must-win situation?
Westermann: We'd got used to the pressure in recent weeks, but of course it was a special game because it was [the last day of the season] - but that's football.
Question: What is the general fitness of the team like ?
Westermann: We're fitter than last year and also in a better place mentally. None of us are tired yet. There's still more to come.
Question: Is it an advantage to have had past experience in the playoff with having been part of it last season ?
Westermann: I don't know if it's an advantage. I only know that we've stood up to the test of a relegation battle, you could see that in the last few games. Now we have to keep our feet on the ground and focus on the next game. It's over two legs, so anything's possible, but we won't celebrate. There's nothing to celebrate. Now it's about taking good care of ourselves, eating well and relaxing. Then we can celebrate in ten days.
Credit: Bundesliga.com