“We want to maintain our form” - Lukas Hradecky interview

Lukas, did you enjoy the international break?

Lukas Hradecky: “I did enjoy it, personally. I may not have played for the Finnish national team, but we managed to win again. Besides, it’s always good to get away from time to time and do different things. We also recorded a very important victory against Werder Bremen before the break, which kept us clear of the teams at the bottom. That result did us the world of good. Now we’re looking forward to the game in Hoffenheim, where we have the chance to consolidate our strong position in the table.”

Considering Eintracht’s impressive form, is it fair to say the international break came at the wrong time?

Lukas Hradecky: “Not really - international matches are part and parcel of the game. We were obviously in great form, but now we want to maintain our form at Hoffenheim. If you look at our recent performances and the morale within the team, I’d say we have a very good chance [of getting a positive result].”

What do you make of upcoming opponents Hoffenheim?

Lukas Hradecky: “We’re facing a really strong opponent on Saturday. In my four games against Hoffenheim we’ve never managed to win - or even score a goal! It’s about time we scored against them and ideally collected all three points, which obviously won’t be an easy task. Hoffenheim are having a good season so far and are making a good impression in the Europa League. They will make life difficult for us.”

You’ve got several tough games coming up before Christmas. Realistically, how many more points can Eintracht pick up before the winter break?

Lukas Hradecky: “If we can get six or seven more points it would be fantastic. We certainly have the ability to do so. That would enable us to go into the winter break in a solid, mid-table position and we wouldn’t have to worry too much about the teams below us. As we found out last term, though, a good first half of the season doesn’t automatically mean you’ll sail through the second half. We’ve learned from our past mistakes. What happened to us in spring [last season] mustn’t happen again, so we need to get as many points on the board as possible.”

Some of Eintracht’s games in the Bundesliga this season have been tighter than ever before…

Lukas Hradecky: “That’s true. You can tell by how many games we’ve won courtesy of late goals. If we hadn’t won those games we’d be in a totally different situation. You have to hope, of course, that Lady Luck doesn’t turn her back on us. We’re in good form and full of confidence, which makes me believe we can keep our good run going.”

You also seem to be getting better as the season progresses, wouldn’t you agree?

Lukas Hradecky: “I didn’t have an awful lot to do in the first eight or nine matches - we defended brilliantly in those games. I’ve been more heavily involved recently, though, which does you good as a goalkeeper. I obviously hope I can keep up my good form. If I do my job well, I help the team.”