FC St. Pauli

Fabian Hürzeler on…

...the injury situation: "Leart Paqarada has had a minor problem but will return to full training today. It's also looking positive as far as Eric Smith is concerned and I hope he'll resume full training today. If he does, he's definitely an option for the weekend. Another positive is that David Nemeth is back on the training ground and taking part in some of the sessions. Igor Matanović and Etienne Amenyido are always on the pitch before training as well. It's looking very positive for all of them. Maurides, on the other hand, is still in rehab training."

...the relief after the win over Bielefeld: "There was a certain sense of relief afterwards because the effects of the Derby defeat had lingered a long time. I'm glad we showed that kind of reaction against Bielefeld. Against the league leaders we have another opportunity to prove our credentials and show where we stand, both as a team and as individuals, and how much further we have to go to become a top team. It's a challenge we want to solve together."

...the promotion race: "We're definitely taking each game as it comes and it will stay that way. That was how it was when we were fighting relegation and that's how it will remain in the promotion race. We would do well to focus on ourselves. We know we're a good side, but we also know Darmstadt are a very, very good side. We'll see how far we've come in our process against the league leaders. We took the two recent defeats well. I'm very ambitious and want to get the maximum out of the remaining games. We're six points behind the play-off spot, which is a lot with four games left. If it's only three points after the weekend, it becomes more realistic. The lads know they're on good form. They can read the table, so it's true to say it's definitely on their minds."

...Darmstadt coach Torsten Lieberknecht: "He's doing an excellent job. There's a reason why his teams are often in contention at the top. It'll speak for his quality, if he manages to secure promotion again. They came close last year but fell short. They're almost there now and will probably do it. I'll be happy for him if they do but not this weekend."

...opponents Darmstadt 98: "We're up against the most complete team at the moment. They have few weaknesses. They can score goals in every phase of the game, be it from set pieces or in transition. They're really good in every phase of the game. They're very compact off the ball and switch the play well. On it, they're incredibly dangerous because they're capable of working up a tremendous head of steam."

...our own game: "We want to dominate, be pro-active and impose our game on them. If we do that, I'm convinced we can threaten their goal. We have to be extremely focused and take up clear positions when we have the ball to avoid getting caught on the break. We also need a clear structure on the ball to create goalscoring opportunities and we have to defend well at set pieces."

...the chance to be party poopers: "I experienced an opposition team getting promoted at Schalke. Once is enough, I don't need to go through it a second time. We're definitely going to Darmstadt to win. We have no control over whether we’re party poopers or not because results elsewhere will also be a factor. We're focusing on ourselves. We aim to win regardless of whether we spoil anyone's party."

Photos: Witters