Rostock coach Schwartz hopes for a soccer festival against St. Pauli
Alois Schwartz has clear expectations for FC Hansa Rostock's match against FC St. Pauli. "It would be nice if we had a soccer festival here that was decided on the pitch in sporting terms," said the coach of the Mecklenburg club ahead of Saturday's match (1pm/Sky) against the Hamburg side. The 56-year-old hopes that the always explosive duel between the two clubs will "remain calm outside" due to the fan rivalry.
The 13th-placed Rostock side go into the match against the leaders as clear outsiders. However, a look at the statistics can give the hosts some encouragement, as they have won their last two home games against the Hamburg side. In the last series, Hansa won 2-0 at the Ostseestadion, and 1-0 in the season before that. The team and their performance give him confidence that this series will not be broken, said Schwartz on Thursday.
However, there is still a lot of respect for the team at the top of the table. "St. Pauli haven't done anything wrong for a long time," said Alois Schwartz, who attested to the excellent work of his fellow coach Fabian Hürzeler. Rostock, who recently picked up four points from two games, only have one problem in terms of personnel: midfield engine Svante Ingelsson is missing due to his fifth yellow card, which he picked up in the 2:1 away win over 1. FC Magdeburg.
Alois Schwartz believes that Hansa Rostock can build on their history of successful matches against FC St. Pauli in Bundesliga 2, having won the last two home encounters 2-0 and 1-0 respectively. Despite being the clear underdogs against the Bundesliga 2 leaders, Schwartz hopes for a lively and competitive match between the two long-standing rivals, with the focus remaining on the pitch.
Source: www.dpa.com
