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Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs St. Pauli – stats, team news, line-ups

Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs St. Pauli - stats, team news, line-ups

After an uninspiring October international break, Bundesliga action resumes on Friday as Borussia Dortmund (W3, D1, L2) welcome FC St. Pauli (W1, D1, L4) to the Signal Iduna Park with three points on the agenda.

BVB parted ways with Edin Terzic at the end of last season and hired the barely-experienced Nuri Sahin. Unsurprisingly, the former Turkiye international has struggled in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Dortmund began their Bundesliga campaign with a win over the nifty Eintracht Frankfurt but showed their propensity to disappoint at crucial stages with an underwhelming draw against Werder Bremen. 

They defeated Heidenheim before they were dismantled 5-1 by Stuttgart at the MHP Arena. Die Schwaben lapped up the victory after a summer that saw BVB nick two of their better players, Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy.

Another win over Bochum was followed by a demoralising 2-1 loss to Union Berlin before the break.

These results read very much like Terzic’s records, and there hasn’t been any improvement since his departure. BVB find themselves in seventh with work to do if they want to hone in on a top four spot. 

Despite their relatively poor start to the season, BVB are just four points off league leaders Bayern Munich.

They haven’t had much to cheer about, but BVB fans will flock to Seatsnet.com to secure Borussia Dortmund vs FC St. Pauli tickets, hoping to see their team get back to winning ways.

On the other hand, St. Paul are keeping their heads just above the relegation zone. After losing four of their six games, they are level on points with 16th-placed TSG Hoffenheim. 

They were welcomed back to the Bundesliga with three consecutive losses at the hands of Heidenheim, Union Berlin, and Augsburg before they managed a surprising draw at RB Leipzig and a shock win over SC Freiburg.

However, they were brought back to earth after their 3-0 loss against Mainz 05, which left them scraping for survival. 

St. Pauli have found the transition from Bundesliga II to the top flight difficult, especially after losing their charismatic manager, Fabian Hurzeler.

Alexander Blessin replaced him, but the former Genoa boss faces a fight to galvanise this squad to Bundesliga survival. 

Head to Head

St. Pauli claimed a shock 2-1 win over Dortmund the last time they faced off (in the DFB-Pokal). Pitted against the Bundesliga giants, not many gave them a chance, but the magic of the cup prevailed.

Etienne Amenyido gave Der Kiezkicker the lead in only the fourth minute, and they forced Axel Witsel to score an own goal and double that lead.

Erling Braut Haaland scored in the second half, but the goal did not move the needle as the minnows picked up a famous win at home. 

Both sides also locked horns in friendly games in 2015 and 2016. Both times, Dortmund came out on top.

Der BVB also clinched the win when they met in the cup in 2014 with Shinji Kagawa, Marco Reus and Ciro Immobile on the scoresheet for the 3-0 routine victory.

The last four Bundesliga meetings between Dortmund and St. Pauli ended with wins for the eight-time German champions. BVB will be the overwhelming favourites when they meet again this Friday. 

Dortmund have scored at least four in their last three home games and will be desperate to bounce back from the loss to Union. 

However, Sahin’s side has yet to find their footing in the league, and a slip-up or two is never too far away for the Schwarzgelben. 

Blessin’s men showed with the results against Freiburg and Leipzig that they can punch above their weight and cause upsets. BVB must be wary.

Team News

Dortmund will be without Karim Adeyemi (torn muscle fibre), Julien Duranville (hamstring) and Giovanni Reyna (groin strain).

Considering his spectacular form this season, Adeyemi is a massive loss for Dortmund.

The 22-year-old bagged a first-half hat-trick in Dortmund’s last home game as they thrashed Celtic 7-1 in the Champions League, becoming the youngest German to reach ten UCL goals.

He has two goals and three assists in four Bundesliga starts and has carried that form to the international scene, registering five goals in two Under-21 games in September. 

However, he picked up an issue during the Celtic rout and will miss many crucial coming games, like the blockbuster clash with Real Madrid and another massive fixture with Leipzig.

Duranville began to strut his stuff after initially struggling in Germany following the transfer from his native Belgium. But he sustained an injury in the Celtic game after replacing Adeyemi and is out till late November.

Also, Reyna picked up a groin problem during the September international break and suffered a setback that will see him miss this game. 

Meanwhile, Der Kiezkicker have been dealt a massive injury blow, with Blessin confirming that influential German-Tunisian winger Elias Saad will be out for over a month after tearing an ankle ligament. 

The 24-year-old bagged nine goals to help St. Pauli clinch promotion to the top flight, and while many expected him to lose his starting berth, he has been one of the bright spots of their season.

Saad could be replaced in the XI by Morgan Guilavogui or Danel Sinani. 

Goalkeepers Sascha Burchert and Soren Ahlers have been nursing injuries for some time, and it is unclear if they will be in the team to face Dortmund. However, midfielder Conor Metcalfe could be in the squad.

Borussia Dortmund Predicted Starting Line-Up:

(4-2-3-1): Gregor Kobel; Yan Couto, Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, Julian Ryerson; Emre Can, Pascal Gross; Maximilian Beier, Julian Brandt and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens; Serhou Guirassy.

St. Pauli Predicted Starting Line-Up:

(3-4-2-1): Nikola Vasiljev; Hauke Wahl, Eric Anders Smith, Karol Mets; Manolis Saliakas, Jackson Irvine, Robert Wagner, Philipp Treu; Oladapo Afolayan, Morgan Guilavogui; Johannes Eggestein.

Prediction

Dortmund will be the overwhelming favourites going into this game, and they should be able to get the three points.

However, St. Pauli have shown they can surprise big teams on their territory, and a draw is not entirely out of the question.

While Dortmund have been inconsistent this season, they should have enough quality to overcome St. Pauli.

The home advantage will also play a significant role, even though St. Pauli can be a tough nut to crack when they play with confidence.

Dortmund’s attacking trio of Brandt, Bynoe-Gittens, and Guirassy will be vital to their chances of victory. They should cause St. Pauli’s defence problems if they find their rhythm.

Guirassy will be brimming with confidence after netting five times in two games over the international break. He already has six goals for Dortmund since his summer move.

But Dortmund’s defence has frailties their opponents can exploit. They have conceded 11 goals in six league games, and St. Pauli can punish them.

Eggestein will hope to finally open his Bundesliga account this term against Dortmund’s wobbly rearguard. 

Bundesliga games after the international break typically produce fireworks. This one should be a cracker!

Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 St. Pauli

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