Freiburg take on newly promoted FC St. Pauli.

2024-09-22

In a clash of contrasting fortunes, Freiburg, riding the wave of early-season success and facing key injuries, host a resilient yet winless St. Pauli at Europa-Park Stadion, where both teams are eager to rewrite the narrative of past encounters.

SC Freiburg

The hosts will be full of confidence after their remarkable second-half performance against Heidenheim, where Vincenzo Grifo's well-taken brace propelled them to their third win of the season from four matches. This early-season form could signal an impressive season ahead for Freiburg, as their tally of nine points after four games equals their best record at this competition stage, a feat they also achieved during the 2022/23 season.

Freiburg has started their home campaign impressively, with two consecutive home wins—a feat they last managed in the 2016/17 season when they won their first four home matches. However, Freiburg's recent record against St. Pauli has been less than ideal, having managed only one victory in their eight Bundesliga meetings, which was a 4-0 win at home back in April 1997.

Since then, Freiburg has struggled against St. Pauli, drawing two and losing two of their last four encounters. Their winning percentage against St. Pauli is only 13%, lower than their percentage against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Freiburg manager Julian Schuster is expected to maintain the 4—2—3—1 formation, with Junior Adamu leading the attack. However, the team is facing significant injury challenges, with up to seven players sidelined. Merlin Röhl is ruled out with an ankle injury, along with Maximilian Philipp and Kiliann Sildillia, who are also out.

St. Pauli

St. Pauli are coming off a hard-earned goalless draw against RB Leipzig, earning their first point and clean sheet of the season. Manager Alexander Blessin praised his team's disciplined and well-organised performance, saying, ‘We were very well organised and kept things tight, making it tough for Leipzig to find any space.’

Despite this positive result, St. Pauli remains winless in 16 Bundesliga matches. This streak dates back to their previous tenure in the top flight, which ended after a 13-year absence from Germany’s premier division. With only one point from four games, the Kiezkicker needs to pick up points soon to boost their survival hopes.

Blessin is expected to utilize a 3-5-2 formation, featuring Morgan Guilavogui and Johannes Eggestein leading the attack. However, St. Pauli is currently struggling with injuries: Simon Zoller is unavailable, and both Sascha Burchert and Sören Ahlers are sidelined with muscle and knee injuries, respectively.