FC St. Pauli

Alexander Blessin on…

...the injury situation: "Karol Mets is improving every day but not enough for us to say he's available to play yet. It'll be tight for Friday. We hope there'll be another improvement and he can put 100% on his knee and the patellar tendon. Nothing's changed as far as Connor [Metcalfe] is concerned, it's a lengthy process. Scott Banks ran without any issues today. We hope he can step up the tempo in the next few days and we can see him back with the team again as soon as possible. As for Adam Dźwigała, I'm assuming he'll be in the squad. Elias Saad is very much on track, but he won't play again this year. We hope he'll ease his way back onto the pitch with the team after the brief interval."

...the significance of the game: "The lads can see the table. The situation is charged to a certain degree. But we're only 12 games in and there's still a long way to go. Three points are up for grabs, and we want them. We want to widen the gap, but our opponents will have something to say about that for sure. We want to win, score and ideally keep a clean sheet. We know how tough it's going to be. It'll be a battle for every blade of grass, and we have to be ready. Kiel have done well to hold their own in recent games and they've been unlucky at times. Against Mainz they didn't perform as well as they can. It's the same for us – if we don't give 100 per cent, we'll struggle against any opposition. We went into the season aiming to go to the limit every time. If we do that, we have a chance of beating anyone. We constantly have to be at our best and get stuck in. The lads have to understand that."

...Holstein Kiel's style of play: "We've mentioned that Kiel will try to draw us in and then play the long ball. Then they're extremely good at pushing up. They win a lot of balls in deep and on losing possession win the ball back again in the second wave. They're very tenacious in that respect. We have to take up better positions against the long balls. It's a question of assessing the situation correctly. How can I put pressure on the ball and how can I find space in deep. The interplay will be extremely important."

...another high-scoring game against Kiel: "You can't compare the situation now with the one last year. And it's not a request show. It's about the points and nothing else and both teams want them. We'll do everything we can to get them. The whole club and the fans are desperate to see the first home win. It's a question of stability, which is extremely important, simple as that. I doubt we'll see another goal fest. It'll be a high-octane contest that will ebb and flow. When it comes to intensity in the tackle and the second balls, it'll be important to win as many as possible."

...the wait for the first Millerntor goal and the first home win: "It's so irritating. The lads would have deserved it so often. It hurts when you don't hear the goal music but are always being asked about it. I'm absolutely convinced the game will come and we won't have to wait until week 34. We want to stand in front of the stand and celebrate with the fans - not just a goal but also a win. It's what we all crave."

Photos: Witters