2. Bundesliga 2022/23 MD29 Preview: Hamburger SV vs St. Pauli
Hamburg, known for its vibrant 19th century architecture, the Speicherstadt, its picturesque Jungfernstieg Promenade and the Reeperbahn. But on Friday night, Hamburg will become a war zone of intracity rivalry when Hamburger SV hosts St. Pauli in the Hamburg Derby.
Last time out, St. Pauli saw an end to its 10-game winning streak at the hand of relegation battlers Eintracht Braunschweig. In spite of a strong second half, Der Kiezkicker couldn’t overcome the two goals conceded in the opening 30 minutes.
Hamburger SV also didn’t fare much better, after a subpar performance in primetime, two crucial mistakes from Ludovit Reis in the final 20 minutes saw Die Rothosen succumb to 2:0 defeat in Kaiserslautern. The pressure is firmly on Hamburg, dropping to third in the standings and in serious danger of missing automatic promotion again.
There may be two games on Friday night, but the majority will be tuning into an engrossing David vs Goliath encounter. Let’s take a look at this weekend's 2. Bundesliga match of the week preview between Hamburger SV and St. Pauli
Last time they met
St. Pauli 3:0 Hamburger SV
FCSP: (61’ Eric Smith, 74” Marcel Hartel, 89” David Otto)
When the two sides met on Matchday 12, St. Pauli were a struggling mess and Hamburg were top of the table. But, as is so often the case in derby matches, table position counts for nothing and once again that sentiment was on display at the Millerntor.
Hamburg, who started the game in a sluggish manner, were reduced to 10-men when captain Sebastian Schonlau fouled Etienne Amenyido who was denied a clear goal scoring opportunity. With the man advantage, St. Pauli took complete control by piling on three second half goals coming from Eric Smith, Marcel Hartel, and David Otto to help secure the hosts a memorable derby win.
Key players
Sebastian Schonlau
Sebastian Schonlau, the Hamburg captain and the focal point of Tim Walter’s defence. To prove this point, Hamburger SV have only score four points out of a possible 12, with the only win coming against Paderborn. Without Schonlau, The defence has given up 11 goals in those four games, which included four against mid-table Karlsruher SC. From the numbers, Hamburg are, at best, a middle of the road defensive unit without Schonlau in the lineup.
Thus, Schonlau will play a pivotal role spearheading the defence. From a statistical viewpoint, Schonlau ranked first in the 2. Bundesliga in successful passes in open play with 92.88% and ranks in the top 10 in winning back possession. Beneficial statistical traits for a team that plays with high possession numbers.
When it comes to Hamburg's best defensive form, Schonlau and Mario Vušković lead the way. But, with Vušković suspended, the heavy responsibility will once again be shouldered by Hamburg’s captain.
Oladapo Afolayan
One of the reasons why St. Pauli has managed to turn their fortunes in the Rückrunde is Englishman Oladapo Afolayan. The 25-year-old joined from League One side Bolton Wanderers, and has made an immediate impact in the 2. Bundesliga, scoring two goals and an assist in 11 appearances.
Where Afolayan has really benefited St. Pauli by stretching the field in offensive transition. His quickness and proficiency at driving the ball towards dangerous areas of the pitch has enabled St. Pauli to finally have a suitable solution for the departed Daniel-Kofi Kyereh.
With the implementation of Afolayan, along with Lukas Daschner and Australian international Connor Metcalfe as the attacking trio, St. Pauli has risen from relegation battlers to an outside chance of the playoff. But St. Pauli will need Afolayan to hit the score sheet if they are to win at Volksparkstadion for the first time since 2020.
From the coaches
The pre-game press conferences were completed on Wednesday, here’s what they had to say.
Tim Walter
"When I go to the training ground and see so many people and fans who are so well-disposed towards the club, it's just nice. It lifts your spirits sky high. I think it's great what has come about here - the enthusiasm and passion with which people treat us. That wasn't always the case. Things have changed at HSV. We feel that we can transfer the euphoria that reigns here internally in the club to the spectators. That's simply fun. It's nice to see that people love the club and live it.”
"It is certainly one of the most beautiful games. Especially with the backdrop. In my time, it's the first time that the derby is sold out at home. There aren't many city derbies in Germany, so you have to look further afield to Europe and there you can see the names of the derbies on the tip of your tongue. It's something special - that's for sure. The most important thing is that we always stay with ourselves. We mustn't think that we have to do something special just because everyone expects it. It's about keeping cool - that's special enough on a day like this. We have to do our thing. That's exactly what got us into this position: 53 points and thus the best second-division season HSV had played at that time."
"It's a big point game in the sense that it's a special game. It's a derby, a city derby. If you take it purely factually, then there are three points in terms of the table, but purely emotionally it is of course something completely different. Energy, passion and many other things will play a role on Friday. At the end of the day, all teams have six more games to go after this matchday. That's the case for us, that's the case for our opponents and that's the case for all the other teams. That's why we only settle the score at the end.”
"All the top teams are playing for promotion and doing a good job. But we look ahead and want to get the best out of it. That's why we always compete to win."
Credit: HSV
Fabian Hürzerler
““I noticed that I’m not so good at dealing with defeats. The task now is to convert the anger over the defeat into positive energy and positive emotions. I feel positive and told the players that yesterday. It’s about continuing to have confidence in our own strengths. The players have done a lot of things right and will do a lot of things right on Friday.”
“I experienced several derbies as a player in Munich. They were always something special when the stadium was full and the two sets of fans, who are not exactly friends, came together. It will definitely be an interesting game that will electrify the masses. You can feel the buzz building around the city. I’m still quite calm in myself but I can’t say how it will be on Friday.”
“HSV have loads of individual quality in every department. They like to come at you with footballing elements and are excellent in transition. On the flanks they have good one-against-one players and lots of pace. They also have a footballing goalkeeper who is extremely good on the ball. In attack, they’re capable of mounting a massive goal threat. They do allow some opportunities in defence, which is obviously a chance for us.”
“It’s there on both sides. I can’t say who’s feeling it more. We’re an ambitious club who want to achieve our targets, so I can’t say we’ll go into the game with a sense of freedom and wait and see what happens. Our players are eager, they’re ambitious and they want to achieve things, so there’s pressure on our side, too.”
Credit: St. Pauli
Expected lineups
Fragility and uncertainty plagues a Hamburg side that has won once in their last five outings. So, it will be fascinating to see how Walter lines up his team. I would like to see Moritz Heyer back at right-back, but I expect to see the same back four we saw in Kaiserslautern. The one change I do expect is the reintroduction to the starting lineup for Jean-Luc Dompé in favour of Sonny Kittel.
Hürzerler has resisted change to the starting XI, which is understandable considering prior to last week they did win 10 on the bounce. But, after some questionable moments in defence, I expect to see Eric Smith return to the lineup after missing out the previous two weeks. Smith has been a vital player in build up play, and is often given licence to get forward in transitional phases. I expect Adam Dzwigala to miss out.
Prediction
St. Pauli’s resurgence has been mightily impressive, and it's certainly going to be interesting to see how they respond after their first defeat of 2023. The advantage for Der Kiezkicker is the pressure is squarely on big brother, and if they can be solid at the back and dynamic, they will inevitably force an error from the fragile Hamburg defence.
Hamburg understands the situation, a defeat could see them 8 points adrift of top place Darmstadt, but more importantly four points away from Heidenheim in 2nd. The worst case scenario is Fortuna Düsseldorf and Paderborn both winning, meaning their lead for 3rd is only three points. Albeit these are hypothetical situations, this further outlines the importances of Hamburg needing to win this game.
In what should be a tense, drama filled Hamburg derby. I can’t see either team separating themselves.
I’m predicting a 2:2 draw in the Hamburg Derby