'Hamburg vs. Bayern Munich a massive game' - Fábio Vieira
Hamburg will look to put their home form to good use when they host Bayern Munich at the Volksparkstadion on Matchday 20. Ahead of the encounter, Fábio Vieira sat down to discuss the upcoming game, the season so far and rising star Luka Vušković...
Fábio, you and your Hamburg teammates face Bayern next. What are you expecting from this encounter in front of your own supporters?
Fábio Vieira: “The atmosphere will, as ever, be amazing. Our fans have been unbelievable so far. I expect a massive game. We will play a team that has a lot of quality. Everyone knows that they are one of the best teams in Europe. But we also know that at home we are very strong. It’ll be a top game to watch, and we’ll do our best to try to get the three points.”
Augsburg, who became the first team to beat Bayern in the 2025/26 Bundesliga last week, proved it is possible to defeat them. Do you think that has made them angry, or will it not make any difference?
Vieira: “For me, it doesn’t make any difference. In the end, it’s 11 against 11 on the pitch. Everything can happen. We just need to follow the plan we have. We will do everything we can to take the three points.”
What gameplan will you look to implement?
Vieira: “We will play at home, which is one of our big strengths - it's very hard to beat us there. We’re going to use that, with our fans and the atmosphere in the stadium. We’re going into the game to win. We need to play to win every game, otherwise you cannot play football. At the end, we’ll see what happens, but of course we have in mind that we’re playing one of the best teams in Europe.”
Watch: Bayern Munich 1-2 Augsburg - highlights
You joined Hamburg last September. How has your experience been with the club and the fans so far?
Vieira: “I heard [before I came] that it’s such a big club. They got promoted from Bundesliga 2 to the top tier, so everything is new. A lot of players were not used to playing in the Bundesliga, so everything is different for my teammates. I’m here to help them as much as I can. Hamburg are a big club and deserve to be in the Bundesliga, so we’ll do our best to stay in the league.”
What have you made of the Volksparkstadion atmosphere?
Vieira: "It’s amazing. The fans are unreal. I never experienced something like this before. They are always behind us. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, they are always with us. They have been amazing so far.”
Watch: Hamburg city & stadium tour
In contrast to your home form, you have managed just three points on the road. Why is there such a big difference in results?
Vieira: “I don’t know… Something is missing perhaps. Everyone can see that in games at home we are very strong. It’s so hard to beat us at home. Away, we are struggling a little bit. This is something that we have been working on. We will be better in the next games, for sure.”
Overall, you're 14th in the table. You look relatively comfortable, but it's still tight down there. What is required for you to stay up?
Vieira: “We just need keep trusting the process, which we are doing with Merlin [Polzin]. He’s doing a good job so far as well. We need to keep doing what we’ve been doing so far. We also need to improve in a lot of areas, but I think there will be a big fight from 10th to last place. Everyone is very close to each other. We just need to think game by game, step by step. At the end, I’m sure we’ll achieve everything we want.”
You are one of the most important players for Hamburg's game. How do you assess your own performance and your one goal and three assists so far?
Vieira: “I think I have been helping the team. I also think I can do more as well. My biggest strength is to create goals. This is what I’m trying to do, to try and help the team as much as I can. Every single game is different.”
Another player who is really important to Hamburg is 18-year-old Luka Vušković. Just how crucial is he?
Vieira: “Luka is such a nice guy. He’s only 18, but he plays with such a big personality. He’s an important player for us and has been doing amazing so far. We are happy to have him here with us.”
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