FC St. Pauli

"We've had a busy week of training," said Janssen, kicking off the proceedings. "The lads showed good energy again in this morning's practice match and they all understand that that's exactly what we'll need against a Heidenheim side who'll be giving nothing away."

Janssen will again be without Kyoungrok Choi, Yiyoung Park and Lasse Sobiech on Saturday. "Lasse trained at 90% yesterday but had a headache after the session and could only do some cycling today, so he won't be available," explained Janssen, who hopes next week's international break will do the 26-year-old good and allow him to return against Nürnberg on Monday, 11 September."

As at Darmstadt last week, Christopher Avevor will deputise for Sobiech. "Jackson did a decent job in his first appearance in months," said Janssen in praise of the defender. "He still lacks a bit of feel for the situation but that's normal after such a long time out. Christopher will again go about his business with lots of commitment against Heidenheim. He needs to bring the qualities he has to the game and not overdo things. I'm guiding him in that respect."

On the subject of guidance, Janssen is looking for a different showing against Heidenheim after a Darmstadt performance in which his players allowed themselves to be driven by events and had too little structure in their game. "We'll try to dictate the rhythm and impose ourselves on the game and our strengths on the opposition," said the 50-year-old, who is keeping his options open as far as the starting lineup is concerned. "It can go this way or that way. We'll think about how we can hurt our opponents. I'll take my time to consider whether we can do that with the same lineup or whether we need to make changes."

Janssen described Heidenheim as a "settled side" with only a few changes made during the summer. With the exception of Tim Kleindienst (now SC Freiburg), they hung onto all their first-team regulars and signed striker Robert Glatzel (FC Kaiserslautern), Kolja Pusch (Jahn Regensburg) and Nikola Dovedan (SCR Altach). "They have a better squad than last year," said Janssen, who made particular reference to Heidenhem's transitional play. "They look to get forward straightaway whenever they win possession. They also pose a particular threat from set pieces with their aerial strength."

After three competitive games without a win the Boys in Brown now hope to turn things round and take all three points on Saturday. They will be helped in their endeavours by the support of the fans, as Janssen was keen to point out. "The Millerntor will be packed to the rafters again, which is sensational. We're very happy and grateful for the backing we get from the supporters and we'll approach the game accordingly."

Photo: Witters