FC St. Pauli

Alexander Blessin on…

...the injury situation: "We deliberately took Siebe out of training this week, which was important. He trained again today and didn't feel any pain. Connor and Robert responded well to the friendly in Berlin and are available again. Morgan has trained in part this week and will resume full training tomorrow. The Munich game comes around too soon for him but we're confident he'll be back in the squad for the game against Mönchengladbach. Karol is still out. I'm not putting him under any pressure because I want him to focus on easing his way back in. We just have to be patient."

...the international players: "I had my eye on all the games and I'm glad they've all come through unscathed. Jacko scoring three goals was very pleasing. He was tired when he came into the office yesterday but he had a smile on his face. Niko picked up two important wins and kept a clean sheet. Danel scored one and made one in another good showing. We have to make sure the lads recharge their batteries now. Elias was the only one who didn't play, but he's raring to go in the league again."

...Jackson Irvine being back in the goals: "We'll see whether the floodgates open now. He was a bit sarcastic himself about all the chances he's had for us. It's a good feeling when the ball lands at your feet and ends up in the net at long last. I'll have nothing against it if he does the same thing on Saturday. That would be great and it would definitely help us."

…Bayern's injury problems in a busy international break: "They have a big squad and will put out a very good team. They're used to playing in this rhythm. It's neither an advantage nor a disadvanatge for us."

...the narrow 1-0 defeat in the first game: "We were well in it and conceded a pinball goal. Jamal Musiala struck it really well. It was a good goal. It'll be extremely important for us not to give them any time or space in certain areas. We did that very well in the reverse fixture. If we can tread on their toes and get on their nerves, we'll be going in the right direction."

...our approach: "The longer we keep a clean sheet, the more energy and breathing space it gives us." The same goes for the Bayern game. We aim to annoy them and are hoping that's how it'll pan out. We know about the pace Bayern have and we have to keep it under control. You obviously need to have a good day, coupled with a bit of luck and quality. We have nothing to lose and go into the game as rank outsiders. Everyone expects us to lose but we think we have a chance if we play with courage. We want to be brave and create some chances. It will also be about playing high enough up the field to disrupt their build-up play and force them into mistakes. Then we need to be brave and neat and tidy in our finishing. We want to take the opportunities in transition when we win possession."

Photo: Witters