FC St. Pauli

"Really good, of course," was Sobota's answer when asked about the current mood in the dressing room. Back-to-back wins against Braunschweig and Dresden – the first time this season the Boys in Brown have won two in a row – have done wonders for the spirit in the camp. "We worked hard for it during the winter break," said the Poland international, happy that the team is now reaping the reward for all the effort.

Not much went right for the Boys in Brown during the first of the season. "We kept trying and working hard but the results just wouldn't come," the midfielder said. "Towards the end of the year we started to improve and we've been able to maintain that form. Now we've got the wins we needed to make up ground in the table."

The table makes more pleasant reading at the moment, of course, but Sobota warned: "We mustn't lose focus now and think everything's going to be OK because we've won two games. On the contrary, we have to keep the concentration levels and standard in training high every day. We can't afford to let up one bit if we want to continue our successful run."

According to Sobota the main reason for the upturn in form – besides the hard work of recent works and months – is the increasing desire to win among the players: "I've really noticed it in us. We were desperate to experience what it's like to go home with a win and a smile again. The win at Fürth, and now the ones at Braunschweig, where no one was backing us, and against Dresden, have given us momentum. We aim to take that into the next few games."

The next three points are up for grabs at Bielefeld, who have the same tally as Ewald Lienen's side. Looking ahead to the first of three games against fellow relegation contenders, Sobota said: "Everything's at stake for them as it us for us. Bielefeld are desperate to win the game, but so are we. To make sure we do, we have to be ready to fight from the word go. It's going to be a tough match and won't be one bit easier than the games we've just had against teams from the top end of the table. If we want to win, we're going to have to invest as least as much we've been doing recently."