No letting up
No letting up
Hertha BSC's 1-0 home win over SV Sanhausen last weekend, sealed a return to top flight football next season for the capital city side. There are four remaining games to be played this season and Hertha have a clear target. Coach jos Luhukay: "We want to leave the second division as champions." His side's next game is on Sunday (28.04.13), away to Hamburg cult-minnows FC St. Pauli.
Congratulations are in order for second placed Eintracht Braunschweig, who also secured promotion by beating FC Ingolstadt 1-0 away on Friday night (26.04.13). That victory reduced Hertha's lead at the top to just one point. The race for the championship silverware is therefore well and truly on! Motivation is not a problem at Hertha: "We don't want to give the remaining games away, but we know maintaining the necessary tension will be tough after the last few days following winning promotion," explained central defender Fabian Lustenberger, who recently put pen to paper on a contract extension to keep the Swiss battler at the Olympic stadium until June 30th 2017. He added: "We are professional enough to want to win all of our remaining matches."
St. Pauli always a handful
Sunday's opponents have other problems. They only have a five point advantage over the relegation play off spot in the table - currently occupied by Dynamo Dresden. "St. Pauli have something to make good", pointed out Peer Kluge, referring to Pauli's 0-3 loss to VfL Bochum last time out. Kluge will remain in Berlin for treatment to an adductor problem. Pauli keeper Philipp Tschauner recently grabbed the headlines by heading an injury time equaliser for Pauli against Paderborn. Team mate Jan Philipp Kalla does not see him as an alternative striker just yet (!): He said this week: "We have to shoot as soon as we catch sight of goal."
Hertha coach Jos Luhukay respects St. Pauli and warned of one player in particular. The Dutchman: "Up front in Daniel Ginczek they have a terrific striker who had had a good season." Ginczek has scored an impressive 14 goals in 27 games so far. His coach Michael Frontzek is without several first team regulars on Sunday: Florian Mohr (Back surgery), Kevin Schindler (ankle surgery) and former Hertha man Florian Kringe all miss out. The latter tore a hamstring in his right calf during training on Tuesday, and is understandably gutted to miss out on facing his former club. Luhukay is without his skipper Peter Niemeyer (recovering from concussion) and Peter Pekarik, for whom the game in Hamburg comes too early, following his torn hamstring injury sustained in the home win over Braunschweig. Christoph Janker, Felix Bastians, Marvin Knoll, Shervin Radjabali-Fardi and Philip Sprint all failed to make the squad.
Heated atmosphere
In a nutshell: Hertha want to become champions while Pauli have to retain Bundesliga 2 status. That should ensure it being an exciting encounter at the sold out Millerntor-Stadion close to Hamburg's legendary Reeperbahn red light district: "They will be carried forward by their passionate fans and play out of their skins", reckons Luhukay. Pauli's Kalla: "We feel best playing at home." His team mate Tschauner added: "We have to let our fans carry us especially when we are going forward."
"To play in a sold out stadium in the second division is always exciting, and serves as extra motivation for us which we plan to capitalise on", concluded the Hertha boss. Hertha will be accompanied to Hamburg by 2,500 travelling fans so the team will be anything but short of support.
Possible line-ups
FC St. Pauli: Tschauner – Kalla, Avevor, Thorandt, Schachten – Boll, Funk – Thy, Daube, Bartels - Ginczek
Hertha BSC: Kraft – Ndjeng, Franz, Brooks, Kobiashvili – Lustenberger, Morales – Allagui, Ronny, Schulz – Ramos