Walter: “Derbies are always special games”

A game like no other – that much is clear, with the 110th Hamburg derby between FC St. Pauli and Hamburger SV on the horizon at the Millerntor-Stadion (18:30 CET). It should be added that the derby takes place as the ultimate top of the table clash, as the leaders take on second place. It’s hard to imagine a more anticipated derby. There was therefore also huge interest in yesterday’s press conference inside the Volksparkstadion, where numerous journalists arrived to put their questions to Tim Walter ahead of the upcoming clash. The 48-year-old spoke in detail on...

...the squad: With the exception of Ludovit Reis and Anssi Suhonen, everyone was back on the training pitch this week. We’ll have to see whether Ignace Van der Brempt and Sebastian Schonlau will be able to play on Friday. We’re in close contact with the medical department and the boys, as we don’t want to make any hasty decisions and still have a few games lined up on the schedule. Overall, I’m happy that we’re slowly getting everyone back on board.

…the upcoming derby: Derbies are always special games. What happens before and after the match is unimportant; it all boils down to what happens on the pitch. It will be a really interesting contest. Both sides need a certain amount of possession to execute their plans. It’s nice to see that this way of playing football is being rewarded, what with the teams being in first and second position in the league. We’re looking forward to a good game of football and we hope that the result goes our way.

"In a derby, it’s all about leaving everything out on the pitch and yet still staying calm."

...the clash’s feisty nature: In a derby, it’s all about leaving everything out on the pitch and yet still staying calm. That’s our task, that’s our job. We’re in a good position going into the game and we’ve got some good momentum, whilst it’s a great game to show what HSV is all about. For all the emotion and feistiness associated with this game, it is everyone’s responsibility to appeal to their common sense. Ultimately, it’s all about sport, so everyone should focus on the sporting side of the game and not get carried away by emotion.

…their city rivals’ development: When you’re top of the league with 30 points, then you’ve clearly done a lot right. I respect our city rivals’ and, above all, Fabi’s hard work [head coach Fabian Hürzeler]. He’s doing a very good job.