There has been a lot of talk about the "Bokal" around the Reeperbahn and Millerntor in the past few weeks.

Sweet memories, inspiring thoughts, and now somehow in the back of my mind the secret hope that history will repeat itself after all.

In the 2005/06 season, third-class FC St. Pauli made it into the semi-finals of the DFB Cup with a series of surprise victories against Burghausen, Bochum, Berlin and Bremen.

This Tuesday (8.45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup and on ARD) FC St. Pauli will play in the quarter-finals for the first time in 16 years and will have to travel to the Bundesliga team 1. FC Union Berlin at the “Alte Försterei”. .

The favorite role is clear - but it was in the round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund.

"A real board awaits us there," says coach Timo Schultz, "but we have a good chance of reaching the semi-finals." last four had de facto saved the club from bankruptcy.

The current financial situation is really not that dramatic.

The club is on sound footing.

But Corona has of course left its mark on the account.

Due to the loss of income, equity has halved from around 15 million euros to around 7.5 million.

The uncalculated 1.9 million euros from reaching the quarter-finals help a lot.

The advance to the semifinals would bring another two million.

Schultz is less interested in that – he says.

Two big goals, how does the balancing act work?

He has been on the sidelines as head coach for 20 months and has turned a relegation candidate into a strong candidate for promotion.

"No, you can't compare the two," says the 44-year-old, "you won't forget those days for the rest of your life.

But such an away win at Union would also have its place.” And then he smiles his friendly Timo Schultz smile.

The problem will be: Unlike Borussia Dortmund, Union will take the second division opponent from Hamburg seriously.

"For me, they are a clear candidate for promotion," said coach Urs Fischer: "St.

Pauli runs very well, presses well, has good transitions and has a high pace.” The 3-1 win against Mainz 05 on Saturday came at just the right time for the Berliners to put an end to any talk of a crisis.

Union had lost three games in a row after the winter departures of Max Kruse (Wolfsburg) and Marvin Friedrich (Mönchengladbach).

"A guy like Max Kruse is of course difficult for a team to replace," said Schultz.

10,000 spectators are allowed in the stadium.

Among them are 910 hamburgers.

Sold out.

Naturally.

"We want to absorb as much of the atmosphere and energy as possible and use it positively for ourselves," demands the Hamburg coach and at the same time dutifully relinquishes the role of favourites:

"As a first division team, they should have the right to shape the game." Nobody in Köpenick talks about it, but of course they know about the great opportunity given the "thinned field" to go far in the football cup this year, the final in in your own city - even if not in your own stadium.

"It's a quarterfinal.

In order to be in the final at the end, you have to survive the quarterfinals and then the semifinals.

The task is difficult enough.

It is important to get the focus right,” says Fischer.

In the second half of the season, the sovereign autumn champions St. Pauli also lost the thread a bit.

Scoring chances were no longer taken as a matter of course as they were in the fall.

In addition, there were regular problems with the defensive work.

When an opponent with a quick transition game takes advantage of ball losses, he often appeared in front of St. Pauli's goal with a majority.

The result was six games with at least two goals each.

Hamburg therefore acted more cautiously and defensively in the 3-1 win in Ingolstadt on Saturday.

That will probably also be the case in Berlin.

"In the past few weeks, however, there have simply been too many counterattack chances and goals conceded according to defensive standards," said Schultz: "But we will remain a team that wants to shape it." The next task in the second division is already on Saturday, then that Home game against Karlsruher SC.

Two big goals, how does the balancing act work?

"If I had to choose, I think I would opt for promotion," midfielder Marcel Hartel told NDR.

That would also be a way to become a legend in the neighborhood.