St Pauli v SV Hamburg is a Bundesliga derby 'at the abyss'

St Pauli host SV Hamburg in their second derby of the Bundesliga season on Friday night where much more than prestige is at stake.

St Pauli are bottom of the table and badly need points, and so do SV Hamburg who are five points ahead of them in 14th in their first top flight season since 2017-18.

The Sport Bild weekly spoke of "a duel at the abyss" in the 113th derby which could set the tone for the following weeks for each club.

St Pauli won the first fixture 2-0 as part of a strong start with seven points from their first three games, but it has been downhill ever since as they lost nine games in a row and only garnered five points from the following 14 games.

SV Hamburg recovered from the painful home defeat in August which came with a newly formed team and before key players such as defender Luka Vuskovic and midfielders Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga arrived. They gave the team more stability and skill as well as 16 points after matchday three.

"We have developed as a team. This time there will be a different team," Hamburg coach Merlin Polzin said.

Hamburg-born Polzin named city duels "something special" and will hope for a first victory in 2026 which would move them eight points clear of Pauli.

Hamburg captain Nicolas Capaldo named the derby "a final in the middle of the season."

The former Bundesliga and European champions are coming off a 0-0 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Pauli enter the game after losing 3-2 in stoppage time at Borussia Dortmund where they had rallied from 2-0 down to 2-2.

For Pauli coach Alexander Blessin, the first Bundesliga derby at their Millerntor stadium in 15 years is an ideal match to rebound from the disappointment, and a victory would move them within two points of their rivals.

"If it had been a different opponent you would perhaps run around with a negative attitude for one or two days longer. Now you don't have the time because we all know how important the game is for our fans, for us as a team," he said.