Ahead of FC St Pauli's massive clash against crosstown rivals Hamburger SV in the Hamburg Derby, co-captain Jackson Irvine addressed the media.
The Boys in Brown saw their impressive 10-match winning streak come to an end at home to Eintracht Braunschweig last weekend in the 2. Bundesliga.
However, Irvine was remaining upbeat heading into the clash at the Volksparkstadion on Saturday at 2:30am (AEST).
St Pauli's resurgence in 2023 has seen them climb to fifth and six points behind third-ranked HSV, who occupy the promotion play-off spot.
Hamburg are desperate to return to the top-flight since its historic relegation in 2018.
Prior to that fateful day nearly five years ago, Hamburg was the only side to have played every season in the Bundesliga since the competition's inception in 1963.
For St Pauli, they will be determined to get back on track as they target a first appearance in the top division since the 2010/11 campaign.
Irvine said the anticipation leading into a game of this magnitude was more palpable than normal.
“Although we’re disappointed with how the weekend went, I think everyone’s looking forward to it," Irvine, who has seven goals in 27 matches this season, told the media.
"We’re back in today and everyone’s fresh and the energy’s good.
"Derby matches are like a cup final, and Friday (Saturday morning AEST) will be a big game for us.
"As players, you don’t need any extra motivation for these kinds of nights.
"It just comes naturally. You feel the buzz building in the city during the week. More often than normal people want to come up and wish you good luck and make sure the players know how important this game is to the fans and the area.”
In the corresponding fixture earlier this season, St Pauli claimed bragging rights with a 3-0 victory.
Fellow Subway Socceroo Connor Metcalfe has also featured regularly for St. Pauli, particularly since switching to a more advanced role on the wing.
He has three goals and two assists in 2022/23 and his strong form earned a recall to the national team for the March friendlies against Ecuador.
As mentioned, Fabian Hürzeler's side's imperious run was snapped following that 2-1 loss but Irvine was optimistic, stating there were plenty of positive signs.
”We’ve played worse and won over the last ten games," he believed.
"The performance generally was good, we created a lot of chances, there’s a lot of positives for us to take from the game.
"If we can play like that and keep defending the way we did throughout the winning streak, then we give ourselves a great opportunity to win any game.”