Hannover vs. St. Pauli: CONFIRMED line-ups, match stats and LIVE blog!

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Back at Hannover after a loan spell with Cologne, Zieler's return to the HDI Arena hasn't gone quite to plan so far. The former Germany goalkeeper has shipped 10 goals in five matches, with Die Roten second-bottom of the Bundesliga 2 standings after taking just four points from a possible 15 under new head coach Jan Zimmermann. Striker Marvin Ducksch's intra-league move to Werder Bremen had opened the door for Hendrik Weydandt to add to his match-winning goal against Erzgebirge Aue on Matchday 4, but he finds himself on the bench in a reshuffled pack after the 4-0 loss at Darmstadt last time out.

With Hannover, Bremen, Hamburg, Holstein Kiel and Hansa Rostock faltering, St. Pauli can consider themselves the kings of the north at this early stage of the campaign. The Kiezkicker begin the weekend in third place with 10 points on the board, and will go top, overnight at least, if they can land a fourth league win of the season. With four goals in five games, including two last time out to end Jahn Regensburg's 100 percent start, Austrian veteran Burgstaller has thus far scored twice as often as the entire Hannover team combined.

Match stats

Weydandt has scored one of Hannover's two goals of the season so far. He's found the net once in four meetings with Pauli.

Frank Evina has not scored competitively since February 2020 (for Uerdingen in Germany's 3. Liga), and is 11 Bundesliga 2 games without a goal.

Hannover have conceded the joint-second highest number of goals in 2021/22, with Zieler keeping one clean sheet.

Burgstaller is averaging a goal every 113 minutes in this season's Bundesliga 2.

Daniel-Kofi Kyerah and Finn Becker co-lead the assist charts alongside Jahn Regensburg's Sarpreet Singh (three apiece).

Pauli won 3-2 in Hanover last season - their only win in six Bundesliga 2 meetings with the Reds (D1, L4).

CONFIRMED line-ups

Hannover: Zieler - Dehm, Franke (c), Börner, Hult - Frantz - Maina, Ernst, Ondoua - Hinterseer, Beier

Subs: Hansen, Muroya, Kranjc, Kaiser, Ochs, Stolze, Muslija, Kerk, Weydandt

Out: Evina (muscular)

Coach: Jan Zimmermann

Pauli: Vasilj - Wieckhoff, Medic, Lawrence (c), Paqarada - Becker, Aremu, Hartel - Kyereh - Burgstaller, Makienok

Subs: Smarsch, Beifus, Ritzka, Dzwigala, Knoll, Irvine, Buchtmann, Dittgen, Benatelli

Out: Amenyido (Achilles' tendon), Avevor (ankle), Daschner (knee), Ohlsson (hamstring)

Coach: Timo Schultz