FC St. Pauli

Fabian Hürzeler…

...the latest on Simon Zoller and Jackson Irvine: "We're in a very positive frame of mind as far as Simon is concerned but it remains to be seen whether he can resume full training. Jackson will train with the team again today. He's a candidate for the squad and so he may well travel to Berlin. He's been out injured for three weeks, though, and the team has done well without him. On the other hand, he's my captain and he's irreplaceable for me. We have to weigh up how much of a risk we want to take."

...dealing with setbacks: "For me, setbacks are resistance, but resistance is also when the opposition exert pressure or we concede when we're in front. It's a question of how we deal with setbacks. We want to respond like we did against Schalke. Conceding a goal out of nowhere was a setback. It's then about welcoming the resistance, continuing to play football and continuting to be brave. Whenever we meet resistance, we have to stay focused on what we do and stick to our game plan."

...opponents Hertha BSC: "As against Schalke, we're up against a team with enormous individual quality. They rebuilt and needed time to find their feet. In recent games they've been more compact and have allowed far fewer shots on goal. They know how to defend, but they're also capable of scoring at any time. They switch the play very well and in Fabian Reese and Marten Winkler have two wide players who are very good in one-on-ones and capable of getting in behind the defence, something that's caused us problems in the last few games. In Haris Tabaković, they have an out-and-out target man up front who they keep seeking out with chipped passes and then go for the second balls. They do that very well."

...our own style of play: "Against Schalke, I liked the way we tried to play football in every phase of the game, even if things were hectic and the opposition were creating stress. We continued to believe in our strengths and regained control of the game through our assuredness on the ball and control of it. That'll be important again at Hertha. We have to be prepared for them stressing us and pressing us high up the field. The Schalke game showed that we keep supporting each other with our body language, gestures, and facial expressions. This is something we want to progress. It's how teams are formed – when you're constantly facing challenges during a game and questions are being asked of you, and then working together as a team to overcome the resistance and developing in the process."

...the fantastic support of nearly 12,000 fans in Berlin: "It's something special. We don't take it for granted. It's not a long trip to Berlin, but it still takes a few hours. For us, it's a huge show of appreciation from the fans. We'll try to give them something back in Berlin - with the performance on the pitch and a result to match. I can already say thanks very much for the incredible support. My perception is that the fans make even more noise when we need their support. They really get behind us and that definitely gives us a push. Our fans are a big plus for us in the league."

Photo: Witters