Kevin Volland: “Play with passion and give it our all on the pitch”

Hello Kevin. A somewhat unexpected question before we begin. Which three questions do you not want to be asked today?

Kevin Volland: “That's difficult. We can actually talk about everything. But we can maybe leave out the topic of ice hockey for now. I think our fans know my answer quite well by now and I shouldn't have to tell them again. My body's centre of gravity is low – ice hockey's not for me (laughing).”

Ten goals and five assists for you so far this season in the points-scorer charts. How happy are you with that?

Volland: “I'm happy with my game on the whole, not just these numbers. There are always things that I can improve upon but this season has been pretty good. I have scored four more goals than I did last season - I can live with that (laughing).”

You and your team face Dortmund on Saturday. What memories are evoked for you when you go there?

Volland: “Very, very good ones, of course. The win on matchday 34 last season was the best experience that I have had so far as a footballer. Last season as whole obviously wasn't ideal but the end was something special.”

What are you expecting on Saturday in Dortmund?

Volland: “It will be a heated atmosphere that awaits us. A lot of fans will be accompanying us and supporting us. I'm expecting us to play with passion and give it our all. Then we will see what we get out of the game.”

How do the remaining games to have to end in order for you to be truly satisfied with your season?

Volland: “We reached our season goal many matchdays ago. Therefore we can be happy. But obviously we want to go out on a high – above all for our good second half to the season. I would be particularly satisfied from a personal point of view if we could take points from both the Dortmund and Braunschweig games.”

Markus Gisdol recently emphasised again that your team has become more stable. How have you made this stability noticeable?

Volland: “I think that you can see it in the manner in which we defend. We have become cleverer as a team and have made fewer errors in important situations. We are a close-knit bunch and have got a more accurate idea of what our teammates do and how they behave in certain situations on the pitch.”

Match facts and statistics »