FC St. Pauli

Timo Schultz on...

... opponents Magdeburg: "It's a meeting of two teams who aren't that far apart. There are no clear underdogs. Magdeburg will be looking to progress to the next round in front of their own fans, we want to go through with a good, focused performance. We can't afford to let Magdeburg get going and will need to play to our strengths."

... the cup-tie atmosphere: "It's going to be red hot. Anyone who's been to Magdeburg knows how loud it can get. We face a really stiff test there. Cup games are something special, it's all or nothing and we know that. We've prepared accordingly."

... Magdeburg coach Christian Titz: "I know him from our time in Hamburg. We had lots of good tussles with his youth teams, who were always challenging at the top. As head coach at HSV he had one of the best points per game averages. You can see his stamp on teams. I hold him high regard and we've chatted a couple of times away from the pitch. He has so much expertise and I'm not surprised he's been a success at Magdeburg."

... the injury situation: "Lukas Daschner picked up an injury in training during the week. It'll take a while before we see him return to action. We took Kofi Kyereh out of training early on Wednesday after he'd trained normally. He didn't train yesterday because of a problem with his knee. We'll decide today whether it makes sense to take him."

... whether he's practised penalties: "Everyone can put the ball in the net from 12 yards in training, that's not the problem. When you've got 120 minutes in your legs, plus the noise levels and the pressure, it's about who's up to it, who's been in a situation like that before."

... playing keeper Dennis Smarsch in the cup: "I'm hoping he plays exactly the same way as he does in training. He's come on really well since he joined us. He puts the highest expectations on himself. I hope he can relax and play with freedom, but I have no worries on that score. We have very good goalkeepers and I'm sure Dennis will play well."

... potential changes to his team: "When all's said and done, we'll put a hard-hitting team out with the job of beating Magdeburg. I'm wary of making too many changes at the start of the season. When the spine of the team has formed and players are performing consistently well, it's easier to make two or three changes occasionally. It'll therefore remain largely the same as in previous matches with maybe the odd change here and there."

... the new 'pride shirt': "I really like it. We won't wear it against Magdeburg because it's too similar to Magdeburg's kit. After that I think it'll see some use in the odd game in future."

Photos: Witters