FC St. Pauli

The Boys in Brown are preparing for the second of the half the season in Benidorm for the third time in a row. Ten days of arduous, yet recuperative training sessions were lined up for the players. Going into the warm-up match against league rivals Osnabrück, head coach Fabian Hürzeler expressed his satisfaction, not only with the conditions on site but also the intensity displayed by every single player: "The lads have trained very well and shown just how stable they are as a group. We've worked a lot on substance as far as our defensive stability and attacking threat are concerned, as well as on playing out from the back and staying a step ahead of our opponents at all times."

Having been held to a 1-1 draw at Osnabrück in the final away game before the break, the Boys in Brown are aiming to be that step ahead after Friday's friendly against the same opposition. In an XXL encounter, the two teams will contest two segments of 75 minutes each. "It's a test we're taking very seriously," Hürzeler made clear before adding: "It's the final test before the season resumes and we want to bring the content of the sessions to the pitch and play with intensity. It's been a strenuous week, but I'm confident the lads can put into practice the things we've been working on in training."

Aljoscha Kemlein (on the ball) is likely to make his first appearance for the Boys in Brown in the friendly against VfL Osnabrück.

Midfielder Aljoscha Kemlein, 19, hooked up with the rest of the squad in Benidorm after joining the Boys in Brown on loan from Union Berlin, and after making a good impression in training is set to make his first appearance for the club against Osnabrück. "Josch will play in holding midfield for 75 minutes," said Hürzeler. "He's incredibly willing to learn and a good passer of the ball. He also has a certain tenacity when pressing the ball. He's still a young player, of course, but that's the way we want to go and so he's a perfect fit for us."

The new enforcer is not the only young player with justified hopes of featuring against Osnabrück. Academy players Max Marie, Tjark Scheller, Kevin Jendrzej, Gwangin Lee, Muhammad Dahaba and Eric da Silva Moreira are all at training camp and candidates for a run-out, as Hürzeler explained: "I'd like to try to give the six young players who've been with us here some playing time because they've gone the full intensity in training and done really well. They were on the training ground every day, which doesn't go without saying given the workload, and so they've earned it."

You can watch Friday's friendly against VfL Osnabrück (14.30 CET) in its entirety on our YouTube channel:

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Photos: Witters/FC St. Pauli