Prior to Saturday evening's game against 1. FCNürnberg, we spoke with the club's top striker, Albert Bunjaku, about his dizzying climb from second division front man to Bundesliga goal getter and Swiss international as well as on FC's winter signings.
Albert, having scored nine goals in 16 Bundesliga outings, you are now one of the top strikers in the league, and that in your first season in the top flight. How would you explain your rapid development?
Albert Bunjaku: "I don't know that! If someone had said that to me a year ago, when I had just moved from Erfurt to FC, I would have thought they were insane. Things are just working out at the moment and I am profiting of course from the work being done by the others. The manner in which Marek (Mintal), Dennis (Diekmeier) and Harry (Charisteas) set up the three goals for me in Hannover last weekend was impressive."
Currently seventeenth in the league table, FC are struggling against possible relegation. What makes you confident that the club can avoid the drop?
Albert Bunjaku: "We believe in ourselves. We have stabilised now but we are well aware of the fact that we must constantly continue to prove ourselves and that we must train very hard to do that. We have all of Nuremberg behind us - who else has the kind of support we have?"
On Saturday evening you play host to VfB in Nuremberg. Both sides picked up important wins last weekend. Who do you think will leave the field of play on Saturday as winner and why?
Albert Bunjaku: "What a question!!" (laughing)
So far, Swiss national team coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has nominated you once. What would participation at the 2010 World Cup mean to you?
Albert Bunjaku: "I'm hearing that question on an almost daily basis! First of all comes FC and survival in the top flight. Everything else will look after itself."
