"It's all about keeping a cool head".

The city derby between Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli is just around the corner. On Friday evening, the two city rivals will duel for the 109th time in a competitive match and the 142nd time ever (live on HSVnetradio from 6.15 pm). For Tim Walter it is the fourth derby of this kind, and for the first time the 47-year-old can enjoy the setting in the Volksparkstadion that this duel deserves - 57,000 spectators, a sell-out crowd! The anticipation is correspondingly great for the football coach, who is fond of games and spectacles and wants to give a lot back to the HSV fans with a good performance by his team and a victory. "It's something special - that's for sure," Walter explained at today's press conference, at the same time making it clear that special measures would not automatically be taken because of that: "It's about keeping a cool head - that's special enough on a day like this."

The 47-year-old spoke in detail about ... 

... the atmosphere before the derby: "When I go to the training ground and see so many people and fans who are so well-disposed towards the club, it's just nice. It lifts your spirits sky high. I think it's great what has come about here - the enthusiasm and passion with which people treat us. That wasn't always the case. Things have changed at HSV. We feel that we can transfer the euphoria that reigns here internally in the club to the spectators. That's simply fun. It's nice to see that people love the club and live it.   

... the approach to the derby: It is certainly one of the most beautiful games. Especially with the backdrop. In my time, it's the first time that the derby is sold out at home. There aren't many city derbies in Germany, so you have to look further afield to Europe and there you can see the names of the derbies on the tip of your tongue. It's something special - that's for sure. The most important thing is that we always stay with ourselves. We mustn't think that we have to do something special just because everyone expects it. It's about keeping cool - that's special enough on a day like this. We have to do our thing. That's exactly what got us into this position: 53 points and thus the best second-division season HSV had played at that time. 

... the impact of the derby: It's a big point game in the sense that it's a special game. It's a derby, a city derby. If you take it purely factually, then there are three points in terms of the table, but purely emotionally it is of course something completely different. Energy, passion and many other things will play a role on Friday. At the end of the day, all teams have six more games to go after this matchday. That's the case for us, that's the case for our opponents and that's the case for all the other teams. That's why we only settle the score at the end.