HSV icon on the city derby: "It means the most" | OneFootball

Tom Mickel knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the Hamburg city derby. The long-time HSV goalkeeper experienced, as a player, the most recent derby victory for the Rothosen at FC St. Pauli to date.

At the Millerntor, HSV triumphed in March 2019 with a clear and decisive 4-0 win. In an interview with HSV.de, the 36-year-old made it unmistakably clear ahead of the current edition on Friday evening (8:30 p.m., Sky) just how important this duel is: “For me, this game means everything! This match – just like the northern derby against Werder Bremen – stands outside of any regular fixture schedule.”

Mickel, who sat on the bench in 2019, still remembers the special circumstances of that evening well. “Even when we arrived, it was clear that we weren’t welcome in this stadium. Our team bus, for example, was pelted with eggs,” he said, laughing. On the pitch, the game then felt “like a trance”: “It was incredible! Everything worked out.” Together with players like Fiete Arp, he tried to push the team from the sidelines.

The atmosphere after the final whistle also remained unforgettable. “The mood was insane!” said Mickel. “You could see in the eyes of every single fan just how much this success meant to them.” For him, it was clear: “In that moment, we underlined that we are the number one team in the city.”

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But more recent derbies also carry great weight for the former goalkeeper. He especially remembers the 1-0 home win in May 2024, when St. Pauli could have secured promotion at the Volkspark. “That couldn’t be allowed to happen,” Mickel made clear, also referring to the solidarity between the team and the fans, who came together again before the match. At that point, HSV had almost no chance of promotion left.

What decides derbies – regardless of the current league standings – is clear anyway: “Everything that happened earlier in the season doesn’t matter. Only what happens on derby day counts.” In footballing terms, Mickel says, it’s less about details and more about mentality, conviction, and physicality.

With what mentality the club will approach the upcoming duel is something the HSV veteran, half a year after the end of his career, can no longer influence. “I’ll be watching the game at home on TV with my family,” he reports. “Of course, we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed!”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.