FC St. Pauli ahead of season start: 'Direction is right'

After six weeks of preparation, FC St. Pauli is ready for the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga according to new coach Marcel Rapp. 'We are now at a physical level and in terms of how we want to play football that it can start to earn points,' he said during the press conference before Sunday's (13:30 CET) match against Greuther Fürth.

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Goal of Top 25 in German Football Remains

'I believe, if we move forward with this as our goal and take it seriously, that's realistic,' said the native Pforzheimer. 'And I believe, that's also how it should be, with all the air above us and knowing well about the challenges Absteiger usually face in 2. Bundesliga.'

Like how hard First League strugglers sometimes struggle in 2. Bundesliga, Rapp experienced this in the previous season with Holstein Kiel. After one year in the Bundesliga, they left the arena.

On the Right Path

He believes that comparing clubs is not possible, but there are also experience values. 'I believe, that's always so during a relegation, when there is a small turnover in the squad. We have it too and we need to handle it, and we're on this path,' he said.

Whether this will work out, 'we'll see then in a few weeks.'

They are on the right track, 'if I see the spirit of the team, the mood of the team, but also the quality that we have in training, then I'm very optimistic about it,' he said. 'But still, I don't know how it will be at the weekend and in a few weeks. But basically, I think the direction we've taken is right.'

New Signing Thordarson's Potential for Match Against Fürth

A few hours before the press conference, FC St. Pauli announced the signing of the Icelandic player Gisli Thordarson from Polish champion Lech Posen. The 21-year-old national player comes in as a central and defensive midfielder. According to Rapp, Thordarson could make his debut against Fürth.