FC St. Pauli

At the press conference before the crunch clash with Kickers Würzburg head coach Ewald Lienen had a key point to make. "We have to focus on ourselves," he said. "The teams at the bottom have picked up points in recent weeks, while the mid-table sides haven't done so well, but we shouldn't pay any attention to that." Lienen also touched on another important aspect at this stage of the season, saying: "We have to find the right mix in training to ensure the players can go into the games fresh and concentrated. The lads who haven't had so much playing time recently have pitched in well, which is positive because we'll need every one of them."

Turning to his selection options, Lienen revealed that apart from Bernd Nehrig, who is suspended, Christopher Avevor (training deficit) and Maurice Litka (MCL sprain) will not be in the squad on Sunday. "Otherwise everyone is fit and available," he said before adding that motivation was not a concern. "We've been in this heated phase of the season for a very long time. There's no question that we go into every game highly motivated."

The St. Pauli boss has unhappy memories of the reverse fixture. "The game at Würzburg was probably one of those where we had to make the most adjustments from the touchline," he said. "Würzburg are awkward to play against, that's clear, but it's also clear that it doesn't matter what system they operate in at the Millerntor. What matters is that systems are implemented with the right level of effort and intensity. A team has to be used to playing together as well. But there's an antidote for every lineup and every formation, that's the decisive thing."

Photo: Witters