FC St. Pauli

The Boys in Brown are back on track. After going down at home for the first time this season against Hannover 96, they returned to winning ways at FC Ingolstadt 04 before shrugging off DFB Cup elimination at Union Berlin to take three points off Karlsruhe and record back-to-back wins in the league. The Schultz XI thus go to Dynamo Dresden on Saturday determined to maintain their upward trend by getting another result.

That will be no easy task against a side who gave league leaders Werder Bremen a run for their money last time out. Despite going down 2-1 in the end, the Saxony outfit performed admirably under the debut stewardship of new head coach Guerino Capretti, and only some profligacy in front of goal saw them return home empty-handed. That defeat extended their winless run to eight games, and with the threat of relegation hanging over them they are sure to come out fighting for three vital points.

Capretti, who took the helm a few days before the trip to Bremen, added a more attacking focus in his first week in charge, demanding that his side pose a greater threat in front of goal. Though there were initial signs of improvement in the aforementioned 2‑1 defeat at Bremen, a failure to take their chances cost them dearly, as it has done all too often season. On Saturday, with the backing of a 16,000 sell-out crowd, Dynamo will be targeting their first three-point haul since the 1-0 win at Aue in mid-December. That will require them to improve on a record that has seen them score just four times in the intervening eight matches.

"It's always white hot there," said Christopher Buchtmann in the run-up to the meeting with his favourite opponents. The midfielder has already notched four goals against the Saxony outfit, including the opener in the 3-0 home win in early October and an extra-time winner in the 3-2 victory in the DFB Cup later that month. Nevertheless, Buchtmann knows it won't be easy, a view shared by head coach Timo Schultz. "We're in for another exciting 90 minutes in which we'll have to give it all we've got," he said at the pre-match news conference. If his charges can build on their recent run of form, they have a chance of securing not only their third win over Dresden this season but also their third away success on the bounce.

Photos: Witters