It’s been a long time since a Hamburg city duel between FC St. Pauli and HSV was as explosive as the upcoming one: the 43rd edition of the Hanseatic classic since 1947 on Friday (6.30 p.m./Sky) is not just about being number one to become the city. Because league leaders FC St. Pauli and their rivals from Volkspark, who are seven kilometers away, are still in a race for the top and promotion in the 2nd Bundesliga after the 14th matchday. “I’m extremely looking forward to the game, which is a very special one for me as a native of Hamburg,” said St. Pauli’s Hauke Wahl.
Both teams shared a feeling of relief at their dress rehearsals at the weekend: FC St. Pauli saved a 3-2 (3-1) win at Hansa Rostock on Saturday, while Hamburger SV saved a 2-1 win (2: 2) the day before. 0) against Eintracht Braunschweig. A week before the duel in the neighborhood, both teams initially showed good performances – but also gave reason for concern. “On the whole, we can be very satisfied with the performance, especially in the first 75 minutes,” said St. Pauli coach Fabian Hürzeler. HSV coach Tim Walter was also happy “that we won” after the win against second-to-last Braunschweig.
Derby in Hamburg: First meets second
The neighborhood club fell behind early on in Rostock, but turned the game around with a concentrated performance with three goals within eight minutes in the early stages of the encounter. “There were enough opportunities to make it 4:1, 5:1,” said Hürzeler. But St. Pauli didn’t take advantage of their chances to score in the second half either. Rostock got back into the game with a 3-2 penalty and pushed for the equalizer. “We became very, very passive,” criticized the 30-year-old Hürzeler. “We didn’t have any processes against the ball. It was also very hasty with the ball.”
The drop in performance at HSV was even more noticeable: the Hanseatic team had won 2-0 against Braunschweig in a dominant first half and barely played in the second half. “Unfortunately, we came out of halftime a bit shaky and didn’t play with as much confidence and concentration,” said Walter.
Police chief asks fans for support
On Friday, the analyzes from the previous match day are no longer of interest. “The derby will be a completely different game, but I expect the atmosphere to be very similar,” said St. Paulis Wahl, referring to the heated atmosphere in Rostock. “Derby is derby – you can go there with a bad feeling and still win – or the other way around,” said HSV goalscorer Robert Glatzel. “The derby is a game in itself. It’s based on a lot of emotions.”
Before the explosive game, Hamburg’s police chief Falk Schnabel called for more support from the fans in police operations in the stadium. “There are no lawless spaces in stadiums either. And if the police carry out a measure, then the urgent request: Let’s do that too,” Schnabel told NDR before the city duel in the 2nd Bundesliga on Friday.
In recent weeks there have been an increasing number of serious riots at football games. There were more than 200 injuries in the Bundesliga game between Eintracht Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart last Saturday. On November 10th there were riots in the Millerntor Stadium during the St. Pauli game against Hannover 96. After a fan was said to have been attacked, police forces entered the visitors’ stand and were then attacked by 96 fans.