FC St. Pauli are riding a wave of success ahead of their cup tie against Schalke. This is what the Pauli coach says ahead of the second round match.

FC St. Pauli defeated SV Atlas Delmenhorst 5:0 in the first round of the DFB Cup. Things will be a little more difficult in the second round, as the Kiez-Kicker face second-division side FC Schalke in front of a sold-out Millerntor.

The duel has already taken place in the league, where St. Pauli prevailed 3:1. Speaking of prevailing: St. Pauli go into the cup match at the top of the Bundesliga 2 table, and coach Fabian Hürzeler’s team have yet to lose a competitive match this season.

Not even on Sunday, when St. Pauli managed to turn a 0:1 against Karlsruher SC into a victory late on. The Kiez players are accordingly confident ahead of the 90 or 120 minutes against the Royal Blues.

At the pre-match press conference, Hürzeler emphasized: “We have to be compact as a team. The attacking players must also make the first move immediately after losing the ball, switch to defensive mode and slow down Schalke’s pace. “

Matches are always highlights for me. So I could get used to continuing to have English weeks in my schedule

Fabian Hürzeler

With a view to the cup competition, the coach hopes that the journey will continue after the game on Tuesday (6 p.m.): “We want to get the maximum out of it and give the fans the gift of progressing. The cup has a special flair and is something special. We are highly motivated to reach round three. “Games are always highlights for me. That’s why I could get used to continuing to have English weeks in my schedule. It makes us work even closer together as a team. And that’s great fun.”

But Hürzeler knows that it will be hard work against Schalke. Because the opponents have a new coach and the 3:1 win against Hanover behind them. “The change of coach has changed Schalke’s style of play. But you always have to emphasize that they are always capable of scoring goals. They have enormous quality and are difficult to play against. We have looked at and analyzed the past matches. We are well prepared for the game against Schalke. I expect Schalke to try and tighten up the center.”

However, Schalke will be without Lino Tempelmann, who just scored his first goal for Schalke against Hannover. Hürzeler: “Lino Tempelmann is a very exciting player. He scored against Hannover and played a very good game. He is a player who is always able to play the decisive pass. “