Match Preview

Aiming to regain bragging rights in 104th Hamburg derby

FC St. Pauli make the short trip across Hamburg on Friday night (kick-off 6:30pm) for the next instalment of the Hamburg derby.

It’s the Hamburg derby, but not as we know it. The majority of the elements which make the derby in Germany’s second city so special and envied around the world, contributed by the fans, are missing this year as only 1,000 HSV fans will be allowed into the Volksparkstadion for Friday night’s encounter. Nonetheless, three points and bragging rights are still at stake, Hamburger SV having work to do after losing both derbies last season to their noisy neighbours. Daniel Thioune will be hoping his side can continue their fine start to the season, bringing the intensity and courage needed in such a derby game.

Timo Schultz's first head coach role has seen his team pick up six points from their first five games.

Focus on the visitors

St. Pauli limped over the line in the 2019/20 season, ending up in 14th position and two points above the relegation play-off place, parting ways with Dutch manager Jos Luhukay who had never really fitted in during his 14-month spell at the Millerntor. Pauli promoted from within, selecting 43-year-old Timo Schultz who has been at the club since 2005 as a player, assistant manager and academy coach, to re-install the ethos of the club into the first team. It was another summer of change in the inner-city district of Hamburg, 16 players following Luhukay out the door, including fan favourites Henk Veerman, Waldemar Sobota and Dimitrios Diamantakos. Sporting director Andreas Bornemann elected to invest in experienced 2. Liga players as replacements, including Simon Makienok and Leart Paqarada.

Ex-Schalke striker Guido Burgstaller was Pauli’s marquee summer signing, making a surprising move to the Millerntor, only to sustain a vascular injury in his abdomen in his second appearance for the club and requiring surgery. It has been somewhat indicative of a promising but inefficient start to the season, consisting of three 2-2 draws, a 1-0 loss in Sandhausen and an impressive 4-2 home win over Heidenheim, HSV’s Hamburg rivals sitting in ninth position on six points heading into Friday’s game. Schultz has favoured a 3-4-1-2 formation so far but may change things up for the visit to the Volksparkstadion, looking to sit back and hit on the counter as proved successful on the last trip to Stellingen in February. Two new arrivals, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Lukas Daschner have hit the ground running in Hamburg, contributing three goals and four assists respectively, and are the ones to watch for the Hamburg defence come Friday night.

Jeremy Dudziak fully returned to training this week after dislocating his shoulder in Fürth and is in line to start against his former employers.

Dudziak back in the picture to face former club

Daniel Thioune will have been happy with the work from his medical staff and players, returning four members back to the squad over the past fortnight, including former St. Pauli midfielder Jeremy Dudziak, and a return from a torn ACL for Rick van Drongelen improving more quickly than expected. The Dutchman and Bakery Jatta (torn adductor) are the only ones who will miss out on Friday, Amadou Onana a possible question mark during Friday’s press conference but expected to at least make the bench. The hierarchy, players and fans will be hoping for a third win from three consecutive home games to continue momentum at the top and banish memories of two painful losses to St. Pauli in the 2019/20 season. The Rothosen will certainly have to be better than they were on Saturday against bottom-of-the-table Würzburger Kickers, getting themselves over the line in the second half thanks to a clinical display of finishing from Simon Terodde, who has been involved in seven goals in the first five league games.

Thioune on on his team: "Of course on Friday we need players who will bring a certain mentality to the game, it doesn't matter if they're experienced or not. The eleven that I choose will be ready to get stuck in."

Simon Terodde has scored six goals in five 2. Bundesliga appearances so far this term, all six scored in braces.

Matchday facts

Simon Terodde likes playing against St. Pauli, scoring eight times in 13 meetings with the brown and white side of Hamburg. During his last season in the second division in 2018/19, he scored twice in a 5-3 win in Hamburg and once in a 4-1 win at the Müngersdorfer Stadion for 1. FC Köln.
St. Pauli have come from behind often this season, securing points from a losing position in three of their five games so far, coming back from two goals down to claim a draw twice.
The two teams have seen the most goals in their games in the division, Hamburg with 13 scored and 5 conceded and St. Pauli with 10 scored and 9 conceded.

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