And the anticipation is once again huge. Werder Bremen head out on the road Saturday 19 February 2011 at 3:30 p.m. for the electric North Derby with Hamburg. Manager Klaus Allof admits that there are naturally "nicer concomitants" looking at the current sporting situation.

Hamburg dominate St. Pauli - must digest a rare bitter defeat

Clearly despite everything that's going on, the showdown of the two northern German powers will be a "heated, exciting game with many emotions", said Allofs. He hopes the team can use the next chance to gain points as the Green-Whites are just one point from the relegation ranks. And three away points would help ease the situation greatly. Just how to beat Hamburg was exhibited Wednesday evening as St. Pauli used a battling attitude to grab a 1-0 victory.

And it was clear by the reaction of the match losers how disappointed, dismayed and stunned they were. "We have to digest this first. This is a bitter defeat, the most bitter for me in a long time," said Hamburg captain Heiko Westermann. "After the goal, we just lost our way," said Hamburg coach Armin Veh. "But now we have to get back up." His keeper Frank Rost explained the situation a bit more tersely to the Hamburger Morgenpost: "Now we have to get off our asses, heads up - keep going."

Thomas Schaaf: "I don't care who is the favourite"

Hamburg don't have a lot of time to mourn. "Such a derby comes at just the right time," said Schaaf. "You can't mourn too long. You want to give your fans a positive feeling." And the 49-year-old coach will prepare for a newly motivated opponent. But that is just a part of the whole picture. "We are absolutely focusing more on ourselves," said Schaaf. Regarding the expected heated atmosphere, the coach said: "We have to do things wisely and cannot cave into the pressure - especially in the early stage. If you hold them off correctly, you can be successful."