FC St. Pauli

Fabian Hürzeler on…

…the injury situation: "As things stand, everyone's available to play. Both teams trained with lots of intensity and euphoria yesterday, especially the players who haven't been in the squad of late or haven't played. They, too, trained exceptionally well. I'm always spoilt for choice when it comes to making the right decision. Maurides made the squad at Rostock because he deserved it. That meant I had to tell Danel Sinani and Andreas Albers that they were staying at home. It can be different this time. In the current phase, with so many games in quick succession, we'll need everyone."

…opponents HSV: "First against second – it doesn't get any better. In quality terms we're up against tough opposition who like to play football, as we do, and have high possession stats. They try to build out from the back and usually position five players in the last line of defence. They repeatedly try to create overloads on the flanks. Up front they have a top striker in Robert Glatzel, who likes to join in the play and drop deeper into midfield but is also extremely dangerous in the box. HSV are really good on the ball and incredibly dangerous in transition as well. Whenever they drop deeper, and that will happen against us occasionally, they have a certain quality in transition. It's going to be a big challenge and we'll approach it with maximum joy and professionalism."

…the game plan: "Both teams have their strengths on the ball. We'll try to bring our solutions to the pitch and put HSV on the defensive. Our approach is to make them defend deep. That's been the approach so far this season and we want to do that again against HSV."

…going up against HSV coach Tim Walter: "I respect all my coaching colleagues, including him, not just on account of his personality but also because of his work. How will we respond when we meet? I'll definitely shake hands with every HSV official, both before and after the game. I keep saying that emotions are a part of football and I hope we can keep the emotions respectful. That's important to me irrespective of who leaves the pitch victorious."

…the importance of the derby: "In the run-up to the game I sense a certain tension in the air and people are buzzing, not just at the club but in the city as well. I'm very good at blanking that out and really focusing on what we want to do on the pitch. That's what it boils down to – trying to impose our game irrespective of the importance of the occasion and the atmosphere. It's only ever about three points and this game is no different, but there's a certain edge to it and the local bragging rights are at stake. We're aware of that. We know what we have to do, take back the bragging rights. HSV have them at the moment and we definitely want to change that."

…the alleged favourites tag: "There are no favourites in this game. It can go either way and it'll come down to getting the momentum on our side. Both teams have a lot of respect for each other. The truth lies on the pitch and that's where we have to deliver. Football is always about what happens on the day irrespective of how the season has gone so far. It always comes down to the next game and delivering on the pitch and getting results."

Photos: Witters