FC St. Pauli

The Boys in Brown find themselves in the rather unaccustomed position of going into a home game on the back of an away win for the first time since the beginning of April. "We'll take the spell we're in right now and want to build on it, but we also want to do well away from home and pick up some points. Do that, and everything will be going in the right direction," said head coach Timo Schultz before the trip to Karlsruhe. His team got the win at KSC to take that next step in the right direction. Against Dresden, they not only want to claim a third win on the bounce but also celebrate a fifth home win in a row. Never before has a St. Pauli team started a new campaign with so many three-point hauls at the Millerntor – a new record beckons.

Dresden have done well at home so far (three wins and one defeat) on their return to the second tier but have also shown they can be awkward opponents on their travels. They took a point in a 1-1 draw at HSV and then won 3-1 at Rostock. Recently, however, they slipped to two narrow defeats at Heidenheim (2-1) and Darmstadt (1-0). Nevertheless, Alexander Schmidt's team come to the Millerntor full of confidence after rolling over Werder Bremen 3-0 at home. It is not exactly their favourite place to visit, however. Dynamo have not won any of their nine games at the Millerntor to date. Two draws in the former third-tier Regionalliga North were followed by four defeats and three draws in Bundesliga 2.

From a brown-and-white perspective, of course, it will hopefully stay that way. The Schultz XI are looking to build on some good performances of late and secure another three points on home turf. "We are forewarned and know it will be a tough and high-intensity game," said Maximilian Dittgen, who has performed strongly since his return to the starting lineup, adding that no player can afford to let up in view of the fierce competition for places in the squad. No letting up will be the motto for the visit of Dresden, then.

The Boys in Brown will need to go to the limit once again if they are to achieve their objective on Sunday. "We know we have another tough opponent in front of us in Dresden," said Schultz. His team will have to be on top of their game and bring everything that makes them stand out onto the pitch. If they do that, there is no reason why they cannot clock up a fifth home win in succession and equal that record. And as Schultz said, the "power of the crowd", which has already been a factor in the previous four home victories, will hopefully play a decisive role again.

Photos: FC St. Pauli