Pauli coach Blessin wants to defy the winter weather and play

The Bundesliga match between FC St. Pauli and RB Leipzig is in jeopardy due to the weather conditions in Hamburg, with heavy snowfall continuing in phases. Head coach Alexander Blessin is nevertheless preparing himself and his team to play against the top team in Saxony at the Millerntor Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm/Sky).

"We are assuming that the game will take place. We want to play and that's why there are no question marks at all," said the 52-year-old at the matchday press conference ahead of the continuation of the soccer season after the Christmas break. He and his players are preparing accordingly. Blessin also has no alternative program in the event of a cancellation. "There is no plan B for us."

Preparation was not easy under the weather conditions. "We always looked to see what time slots we had so that we might not have to train in the snow," said the head coach about the training session two days before the game. Despite the work of the greenkeepers and the pitch heating, it was difficult.

"We didn't build any snowmen"

"But we were then able to hold our final training session and tactical training as best we could," he said. "We didn't build any snowmen or anything like that, but then concentrated on the orange ball."

A few hours before the press conference, the club had already provided information about the current situation on its website. "In view of the weather situation, we cannot guarantee that the game can take place under the given circumstances," the club wrote.

The club is monitoring the entire situation very closely. "We are doing everything possible to ensure that the match against Leipzig can take place as planned," it continued. All those responsible at FC St. Pauli have been working on various scenarios for days and are "in continuous communication with various experts, authorities, DFL, service providers and many other parties involved".

FC St. Pauli: Club only responsible for stadium and pitch

As a club, FC St. Pauli is responsible for preparing the stadium and pitch, but has no influence on the traffic situation. At the same time, the club thanked the city cleaning staff and other helpers for their efforts.

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the expected storm Elli will significantly worsen the situation on Friday. Due to the predicted snowfall and stormy weather with gusts of up to 70 kilometers per hour, the DWD has issued an official storm warning of heavy drifts.

It applies to the region in and around Hamburg, the north of Lower Saxony and the south and west of Schleswig-Holstein. These weather conditions and the snowfall are expected in northern Germany for around 24 hours from Friday morning.