"We want to take the emotions with us!"

It's a game unlike any other: When Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli meet on Friday evening in the sold-out Volksparkstadion in front of 57,000 spectators for the 109th city derby, it will only be about three points in the standings, but of course above all about a lot of prestige. Hardly anyone in the team knows this better than HSV captain Sebastian Schonlau, whose emotions have been on a rollercoaster ride in the past two city derbies. In the last meeting of the two city rivals at the Volksparkstadion, he was the celebrated hero in the 2-1 home win, but in the first leg of the current season at the Millerntor, he was the unlucky one: In the 28th minute, the central defender was sent off after an emergency foul, and the team lost 3-0 without its captain on board due to a late goal. It goes without saying that "Bascho" would like to see a performance like the last home game against the Kiezkicker with all the positive emotions, as he explained in a media session following the first training session of the week.

The 28-year-old spoke in detail  about ...  

... his expectations for the derby: "Of course, the game has a certain explosiveness. We're really looking forward to it and we're going into it with a broad chest. It's clear that this game is special and we want to win it with all our might. At the same time, we should all be aware that it is a football match at the end of the day. We want to take the emotions that will come up, but also not go completely crazy and overpace ourselves. It will be important to stay in our own midst as well.  

... the opponent: They did well in the second half of the season. If you win ten games in a row, you attract attention. So you can only take your hat off to a series like that. But that doesn't count for anything on Friday, then it starts all over again. In the end, it's always a game of its own with its own laws. You can have series as you like beforehand. This game is decided on Friday. 

... the importance of the game: It's important to talk about it. You don't have to hide the fact that it's a special game. When you are in an exchange with the fans, you can see in their eyes what the club and this game means to them. When you see that, you can only look forward to this game. Our job is to carry this meaning into the team. We already addressed this clearly immediately after the Kaiserslautern game.   

... the special backdrop: Last year there were unfortunately not so many fans in the Volksparkstadion due to Corona. It will certainly be incredible to feel the backdrop in front of a sold-out house this time. We are in contact with the fans and they have told us that they are planning something or other. Everyone who is in the stadium can only enjoy it and soak up the moments. It's going to be really, really cool.