Bayern Munich continue their push for the Bundesliga title on Saturday as they host St. Pauli at the Allianz Arena on match day 27.
The Bavarians sit comfortably at the top with 62 points, holding a six-point lead over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
Meanwhile, St. Pauli are locked in a survival battle as they sit 15th on the Bundesliga table with just 25 points to their name.
They head into this fixture with confidence after a narrow 1-0 win against Hoffenheim before the international break.
However, even the most delusional St. Pauli fan will know the odds are firmly stacked against them as they take on the league leaders.
Fans of Die Rekordmeister will buy Bayern Munich tickets from Seatsnet.com, hoping to see nothing short of domination from Vincent Kompany’s side.
With both sides fighting to hit their respective targets on either end of the log, the upcoming showdown should be a spectacle.
Match Preview
Bayern went into the international break on the back of a frustrating 1-1 draw against Union Berlin as Kompany’s side struggled to break down their resilient opponents.
Despite producing 1.66 expected goals (xG) compared to Union’s 0.69, the Bavarians failed to secure all three points.
They had taken the lead through Leroy Sane in the 75th minute, but that didn’t last long, as they were pegged back by Benedict Hollerback just eight minutes later.
The draw against Union was the first time in five games that Bayern failed to score more than once, and there are also red flags about their defence, having now gone three games without a clean sheet.
With Leverkusen breathing down their necks, Bayern cannot afford to drop points against the relegation strugglers.
The reigning champions take on VfL Bochum on Friday night, and a win would temporarily reduce the gap at the summit to three points, piling the pressure on Bayern ahead of St. Pauli’s visit.
Kompany’s side are hardly firing on all cylinders. They’ve won just four out of their last eight games across all competitions (D3, L1).
They’ve also won just two of their last five Bundesliga games (D2, L1) and failed to win any of the final two before the international break.
They suffered a shocking 3-2 defeat against Bochum at their own headquarters before sharing the spoils with Union in Berlin.
This rough patch comes after an impressive seven-game winning streak in the league that had put them in a commanding position at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Bayern’s home defeat against Bochum halted their outstanding run of 10 consecutive wins at the Allianz Arena.
Kompany’s side will fancy their chances of kick-starting another home run, but they’d be silly to write off their relegation-battling opposition before Saturday’s meeting.
St. Pauli produced a masterclass in defending to shut down Hoffenheim’s attacking threat and clinch a crucial win that moved them five points clear of 16-placed Bochum.
To put their defensive performance into perspective, Hoffenheim failed to register a single shot on target from their four attempts.
However, the narrow win also exposed St. Pauli’s attacking woes, as they have now scored just once in each of their last two matches following a four-game goalless streak.
Head coach Alexander Blessin will be eager for his side to find their spark in front of goal as they seek to avenge a 1-0 defeat against Bayern back in November.
With another tough fixture ahead on Saturday, he will hope his players avoid another frustrating performance like their last outing.
St. Pauli will head into this weekend’s daunting fixture unbeaten in their last two games (W1, D1), which came after a four-match losing streak.
An unlikely win against Bayern is not an unrealistic dream. The only problem is that they have lost three of their last five games on the road (W1, D1).
They also failed to score in three of those four away fixtures and will need something extraordinary to come away from the Allianz Arena with a positive result.
Key Stats
Bayern and St. Pauli are set to clash once again, with history heavily favouring the Bundesliga giants.
Both sides have crossed paths 23 times across all competitions, with the Bavarians coming out on top 15 times compared to St. Pauli’s three (D5).
The reverse fixture in Hamburg was the first time Bayern and St. Pauli have squared off in over a decade, but the Bavarians came away with a narrow win.
Kompany’s side have been the most prolific team in the Bundesliga this season, netting an impressive 75 goals in 26 matches – 16 more than title challengers Leverkusen (59).
They’re up against a St. Pauli side that have scored just 20 times – the worst tally in the division.
However, the relegation battlers have something going for them as they boast the third-best defensive record in the league, shipping in just 30 goals.
Only Saturday’s hosts Bayern (24) and 2024/25 overachievers FSV Mainz 05 (28) can boast a more stingy rearguard.
However, they’ve only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last six league outings while failing to score in four of those games.
Bayern have been near-invincible this year, losing just one of their 11 league games.
However, after falling prey to an underdog, St. Pauli will be looking to take a page from their fellow relegation-battlers as they hope to slay the Bundesliga giants in Munich.
Team News
Bayern were hit with a double injury blow this week, with defenders Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano joining Tarek Buchmann on the sidelines.
Manuel Neuer is also ruled out so Jonas Urbig could get a chance to impress Kompany in this high-stakes clash.
The Belgian manager will also be without Kingsley Coman and Aleksandar Pavlovic this weekend.
Meanwhile, St. Pauli are missing centre-backs Adam Dzwigala and Karol Mets, as well as goalkeeper Sascha Burchert.
James Sands, Morgan Guilavogui, and Simon Zoller are also out.
Bayern Munich potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Jonas Urbig; Konrad Laimer, Eric Dier, Junya Ito, Raphael Guerreiro; Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka; Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane; Harry Kane.
St. Pauli potential starting line-up:
(3-4-1-2): Nikola Vasilj; David Nemeth, Hauke Wahl, Siebe Van der Heyden; Manolis Saliakas, Jackson Irvine, Eric Smith, Philipp Treu; Daniel Sinani; Noah Weisshaupt, Elias Saad.
