Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

St Paulivs.Wolfsburg

sportsmole.co.uk, 24 October 2024, 07:38
Both struggling at the wrong end of the Bundesliga standings, St Pauli and Wolfsburg will meet at Millerntor-Stadion on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts still await their first win and first goal on home turf this season, while Die Wolfe have been scoring freely but cannot keep the back door shut.

Match preview

Since returning to Germany's top flight in the summer, St Pauli have claimed just one point from three home games, and their overall record of five defeats from the first seven has set an unwanted club record in the Bundesliga.

Following last week's loss to Borussia Dortmund - in which Eric Smith seemed to have rescued a point by scoring in the 78th minute, before BVB struck again - the Kiezkicker occupy 16th place in the table, three points adrift of safety.

Back-to-back defeats either side of the international break have halted their momentum, having previously earned all of their four points in a two-game spell.

St Pauli now return to Hamburg, facing the prospect of going nine Bundesliga home games without victory - albeit the first few came several years ago - and that would set another negative club record.

Indeed, Alexander Blessin's beleaguered side have yet to even score at Millerntor-Stadion this term, so they may want to draw inspiration from past meetings with Wolfsburg: St Pauli have lost just one of 14 encounters in the top two divisions and are unbeaten in four Bundesliga contests.

Like their hosts, Wolfsburg face a tough DFB-Pokal tie early next week - they must meet Dortmund, while St Pauli tackle RB Leipzig - but their priority will be claiming victory in Hamburg.

Despite going 1-0 up last time out, Die Wolfe were beaten 4-2 by Werder Bremen, conceding three times in a decisive 20-minute spell midway through the second half, meaning they have now dropped a league-high 11 points from winning positions.

A damning disciplinary record has certainly not helped, as after Patrick Wimmer was sent off against Bremen, Wolfsburg have been shown the most yellow cards (23) and the joint-most red cards in the Bundesliga so far - and they will have two key players suspended this weekend.

Having slipped down to 13th place, Ralph Hasenhuttl's side can now be caught by St Pauli if they lose on Saturday, when they will hope to stem the tide of goals they are conceding: 16 goals against is Wolfsburg's worst record at this stage of a top-flight campaign.

However, Die Wolfe have also scored themselves in all of their last eight league fixtures, stretching back to last season, and a tally of 15 goals after seven matchdays equals a club record dating back to 2009, when they were reigning German champions.

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

L

L

D

W

L

L

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

W

L

L

D

W

L

Team News

Wolfsburg will be hampered by a long absence list this week, with several players sidelined by injury being joined by Maximilian Arnold and Patrick Wimmer, who are both suspended.

Since Wimmer signed for the club, Die Wolfe have produced only 0.9 points per Bundesliga game without him, scoring an average of one goal per game; they average 1.4 points and 1.8 goals per game with the Austrian winger in the squad.

Bartosz Bialek (knee), Lovro Majer (ankle), Lukas Nmecha (groin), Kevin Paredes (foot), Rogerio (knee), Mattias Svanberg (ankle) and Belgium midfielder Aster Vranckx (thigh) are all occupying an overcrowded treatment room, meaning Ralph Hasenhuttl must field a makeshift XI.

Meanwhile, St Pauli are still missing a trio of goalkeepers: Soren Ahlers, Sascha Burchert and Ben Alexander Voll, the latter of whom is on the road to recovery from a broken jaw. Bosnia international Nikola Vasilj will start between the posts.

Connor Metcalfe and forwards Elias Saad and Simon Zoller are also unavailable due to injury.

Once again, captain Jackson Irvine should join Robert Wagner in the hosts' engine room, while Johannes Eggestein leads the line up front.

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Mets; Saliakas, Wagner, Irvine, Treu; Afolayan, Eggestein, Guilavogui

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Grabara; Vavro, Bornauw, Koulierakis; Baku, Gerhardt, Ozcan, Kaminski; Wind; Tomas, Amoura

We say: St Pauli 1-2 Wolfsburg

Six of Wolfsburg's seven points have come away from home this season, and they are also one of only four teams to score in every game so far.

Previews by email

Top News

22 November 2024 talksport.com Jose Mourinho once confirmed he received an offer from the FA to become England manager after leaving his first spell as Chelsea boss. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Newcastle have the chance to close in on the Premier League's top four on Monday when they host West Ham, live on talkSPORT. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by 19 places and 24 points in the Premier League table, Southampton and Liverpool cross paths in Sunday's Premier League showdown at St Mary's Stadium. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is expecting to be without Trent Alexander-Arnold for Sunday's Premier League bout with Southampton at St Mary's. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be aiming to make it successive victories in La Liga when they resume their campaign with a clash against Leganes on Sunday evening. 22 November 2024 talksport.com The Premier League has been treated to the talents of some of the best African footballers of all time over the years. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton head coach Russell Martin will be forced into at least two changes for Sunday's Premier League clash with leaders Liverpool at St Mary's. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Manchester City face another legal dispute with the Premier League after amendments to top-flight sponsorship rules were voted through. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to continue their sensational unbeaten streak, Lille will welcome a struggling Rennes outfit to Decathlon Arena on Sunday afternoon for a Ligue 1 clash. 22 November 2024 talksport.com If Micah Richards had a glimmer of hope he would replace Gary Lineker as Match of the Day host, he is sorely mistaken. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pedro Porro's agent is reportedly 'convinced' that Ruben Amorim will attempt to bring the Tottenham Hotspur defender to Manchester United following his arrival at Old Trafford. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Football fans love nothing more than an epic comeback, and there have been some incredible ones over the years. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Having surged to within one point of the Serie A summit, Fiorentina will aim to pick up where they left off before the break when they visit Como on Sunday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk First meets worst at St Mary's on Sunday afternoon, as Liverpool resume their Premier League title quest at the home of basement boys Southampton. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly joined the race for Atalanta BC attacker Ademola Lookman, with the Red Devils potentially battling Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fortuna Sittard will be looking to secure a fourth home win on the bounce when they take on Twente at the Offermans Joosten Stadion in round 13 of the Eredivisie on Saturday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Monaco vs. Brest (Friday, 6.00pm) The first game in Ligue 1 since the final international break of 2024 will see Monaco welcome Brest to the Stade Louis II on Friday night. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly told Mykhaylo Mudryk that he is still in their first-team plans ahead of the January transfer window. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has reportedly not yet made a full recovery from the knock he suffered prior to the international break. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Legendary striker Robert Lewandowski has revealed he was close to joining Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in 2012. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Xabi Alonso will hope that his Bayer Leverkusen side can return to winning ways when they welcome strugglers Heidenheim to BayArena in their 11th Bundesliga game of the campaign on Saturday. 21 November 2024 talksport.com Wayne Rooney gives Romeo Montague a run for his money with wife Coleen revealing he writes her love poetry. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Six places separate Wolfsburg and Union Berlin in the Bundesliga table ahead of Saturday's gameweek 11 match at the Volkswagen Arena. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Borussia Dortmund have already fallen behind in the title race and will at least aim to stay within touching distance of the Champions League qualifications spots when they welcome Freiburg to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday in their 11th Bundesliga game of the campaign. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A crunch clash at the bottom sees Heracles and RKC Waalwijk go head to head at the Asito Stadium on Saturday evening in gameweek 13 of the Eredivisie season. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Stuttgart sit a disappointing 11th in the Bundesliga table before welcoming cellar-dwelling VfL Bochum in Saturday's gameweek 11 action at the MHPArena. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford boss Thomas Frank has confirmed that Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa will both be available for Saturday's Premier League away meeting with Everton. 21 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Benfica and Estrela Amadora return to action on Saturday when they go head to head at the Estadio da Luz in the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal.