FC St. Pauli

The smell of freshly cut grass has something going for it. and the St. Pauli ground staff have been working flat out to get the Millerntor pitch in perfect condition for the season opener against Nürnberg. It was cut one last time on Friday and is now ready to host the players who will do battle for the first three points when the 2022/23 season kicks off on Saturday.

All set - Millerntor Stadium ahead of the season opener.

Timo Schultz's team aim to entertain the fans with refreshing attacking football and build on the impressive performances of last season when the Millerntor was something of a fortress. Eleven wins, four draws and two defeats saw the Boys in Brown finish the 2021/22 season with the best home record and they go into the Nürnberg game aiming to celebrate what will hopefully be the first of many three-point hauls at the Millerntor this term. That won't be easy, however, as they go up against a side who last season were in the promotion race until the 1-1 draw at the Millerntor in late April and have strengthened well, acquiring strikers Kwadwo Duah (FC St. Gallen) and Christoph Daferner (Dynamo Dresden) among others. "It's a tough ask to start the season with," said Schultz at the pre-match presser. "Nevertheless, I'm convinced we've strengthened well and will give Nürnberg a good run for their money here at the Millerntor. They'll have to really stretch themselves if they want to get a result here."

So what can we expect going into the new season? The opening game is always tricky, as teams never really know where they stand, how well they have prepared and how significant the results of their pre-season warm-up games are. The Boys in Brown slipped to 2-0 defeats against fellow second division side Holstein Kiel and Silkeborg IF before beating NK Istra 4-1, while Nürnberg defeated fourth-tier outfits Viktoria Aschaffenburg (2-0) and FC Schweinfurt (2-1), but lost to Ludogorets (0-3), WSG Tirol (0-2) and Arsenal (3-5 after leading 2-0 at half-time).

There is some clarity in terms of the personnel available to the visitors, however, as Lukas Schleimer (MCL ankle sprain) and Pascal Köpke (in rehab after knee surgery) are the only absentees. Former St. Pauli man Mats Møller Dæhli and Florian Hübner are expected to travel after recovering from colds. In contrast, the Boys in Brown will be without Nikola Vasilj (fractured little finger), Marcel Beifus (suspended) plus David Nemeth and Etienne Amenyido (both in rehab after muscle injuries). Adam Dźwigała is still a question mark, and it remains to be seen whether defensive utility player Betim Fazliji, who was unveiled on Friday, will go straight into the squad.

The Boys in Brown go into the opener against Nürnberg with great anticipation, knowing they can count on the support of the fans. With this in mind, Schultz made a point of telling his charges to soak up all the energy they can and exploit it for their own aims, referring to the special atmosphere generated at the Millerntor. The objective is to get off to a successful start, and to do that, his players will have to give their all as a unit.

Photos: Witters