FC St. Pauli

…the international players: "Mats Møller Dæhli had to go off at half-time of Norway's win over Malta on Monday evening due to a thigh problem. He came back yesterday, as did James Lawrence. Happily, James qualified for the European Championship with Wales, but he's been ill and was sick several times on Sunday. Both will undergo a fitness test during training today to see if they're options for tomorrow. While they're both doubtful, Viktor Gyökeres and Leo Østigård are ready to play tomorrow, as are Jakub Bednarczyk and Finn Ole Becker."

…the injury situation: "Daniel Buballa is definitely ruled out. As things stand, another four players will be sidelined by muscle problems. Johannes Flum pulled out of training last week, Matt Penney yesterday. There's also Dimitrios Diamantakos, who will have a scan today. Rico Benatelli also withdrew from training last week. Youba Diarra has an inflamed knee and might miss out as well. In total, we're without 15 players, of which maybe just one will return in the remaining five weeks."

…the high number of injuries: "When I arrived in April, we had more than ten players injured; at the end of the season it was 14. We now have 15 players out. The problem of this squad is that's very susceptible to injuries. That's nothing new, as I've said since day one. I haven't been able to change that so far and that's very frustrating. There's nothing I want more than to stabilise my team. To do that, you need a framework, a foundation, but it's been crumbling with every week. I've been around a long time but I've never experienced anything like this. That's not a justification, they're the facts. There's nothing I'd like more than to select the same eight, nine or more players every week."

…the run-in until Christmas: "These are key weeks for achieving a good position in the table. Aue are fifth but only five points ahead of us. A win can quickly put you in a better position, but if you lose, you have to be careful not to slide down the table. All five games are extremely important. Perhaps we need to play not so well every so often, but then win ugly."

… Friday's opponents: "I have a lot of respect for what Aue have achieved this season. They've earned their 20 points and fifth place, it's not down to coincidence or luck. In their own way they get the maximum out of the means at their disposal. You have to take your hat off to how they harmonise and function as a team."

…tomorrow's task: "We have to make that little bit more luck. We need stability at the back, not only in open play but also from set pieces. We have to be wide awake there. When switching the play and attacking, we need to be as effective as possible against a well-structured team. I have full confidence in the players who are available in the coming weeks. We're competitive and absolutely capable of playing good football. The players have worked extremely hard in training and are investing a lot. We'll push Aue all the way tomorrow. It's a game between two evenly matched teams."

…the composition of his attack: "I spoke to all our strikers yesterday and told them they've made it very difficult for me in the last two weeks to make a selection for tomorrow. Borys Tashchy or Henk Veerman – one of them will start tomorrow."

Photo: Witters