FC St. Pauli

Alexander Blessin on…

...the injury situation: "Carlo Boukhalfa won't make it. He'll be out for another five or six days. We withdrew Elias Saad because he was struggling with a cold. He took time out to recover and did some running work yesterday before resuming full training today. Robert Wagner came through the first two sessions well and showed no reaction. The same goes for Morgan Guilavogui, who came through the last three sessions very well."

...a possible change of system: "We have to find a balance. Mainz are very man-oriented, so we have to keep things tight and create situations when we can open up space in one on ones. There's always a risk associated with that, as we've experienced quite often with teams like them. You have to be very consistent and keep things neat and tidy for 90 minutes to stop the opposition having any chances. We've made good progress in that respect, especially in terms of our rest defence. We don't want to defend deep all the time like we've done in the last two games. You can't keep everything out. We want to vary the height of our defensive line, while keeping things tight throughout. The last two games have been good for us because we've seen how quick we can get solidity in every position."

...climbing out of the drop zone: "After the three defeats we said we had to remain calm. We know what we can do and what we can't do, and we didn't get nervous. We kept working with the team and made a few changes according to the situation. Keeping two clean sheets gives you a certain sense of strength in your defending but it doesn't mean it's going to be plain sailing from now on. Not that the team will think that way. They know what to make of it. If we go into the Mainz game with 95 per cent, we'll founder. We saw what happens if you don't give 100 per cent in the first half at Augsburg. We have to give as good as we get and go into the game with the right level of intensity."

...opponents Mainz 05: "They know their way around relegation scraps. They mobilised all their forces after the change of head coach and launched themselves into the relegation battle fantastically well. They don't want to have anything to do with relegation this year and can bring their experience to this season. They play no-thrills football, so it's going to be a completely different game in which we'll probably have a bit more possession. Mainz are very clear in their build-up play and work a lot with second balls, which we have to pick them up. It's going to be a very combative game. We have to go to the limit again and put in a top performance if we want to take all three points. The lads have earned the points recently because they brought intensity to the pitch. We can't depart from that by one iota."

...the atmosphere and support of the fans: "The fans are very discerning. It'll be dusk when we play Mainz, so it could be a magical atmosphere. We have to lead from the front to ensure it does become that kind of magical night. I really enjoyed the Leipzig game; the atmosphere was incredible. We want to see that again. The lads are willing to give it all they've got again, not to mention the fans. What the 3,000 fans did at Freiburg was superb. The only thing left is to say thank you. We can only achieve our goals together."

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters