FC St. Pauli and Borussia Dortmund will be desperate for three points when they face off at the Millerntor-Stadion on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Bundesliga season resumes this week with Matchday 24. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with the game between VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich on Friday. The action on Saturday will begin with five simultaneous matches, including FC St. Pauli vs Borussia Dortmund at the Millerntor-Stadion.
FC St. Pauli would have hoped for a mid-table finish after returning to the Bundesliga ahead of the 2024/25 season. However, the Neighbourhood Kickers have been in and around the drop zone throughout the ongoing league campaign, with the recent three-game losing run dropping them from 13th to 15th in the standings, although they are six points clear of 16th-placed FC Heidenheim.
On the other hand, chaos has been the name of the game for Borussia Dortmund in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. While the Black and Yellows have been impressive in the UEFA Champions League, they have won only nine of their 23 league games thus far. Niko Kovac has struggled to turn things around since replacing Nuri Sahin, with the visitors winning only two of their last eight top-flight outings.
The reverse fixture saw Borussia Dortmund eke a narrow 2-1 win over St. Pauli, with Serhou Guirassy scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
FC St. Pauli
Alexander Blessin has a plethora of fitness issues that are hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The FC St. Pauli manager might be bereft of the services of as many as seven first-team players vs Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Morgan Guilavogui is the most notable absentee, with the Malian international recovering from a wrist injury. The 26-year-old accompanies Sascha Burchert (groin), Karol Mets (knee), James Sands (ankle), Robert Wagner (thigh), and Simon Zoller (calf) on the sidelines. In addition, Blessin is sweating over Manolis Saliakas’s fitness, with the Greek defender recovering from a hamstring issue.
Nikola Vasilj will take his spot between the sticks, with FC St. Pauli lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him vs Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature David Nemeth, Hauke Wahl, and Siebe van der Heyden. Philipp Treu and Lars Ritzka will likely start as the two wing-backs.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Eric Smith and Jackson Irvine. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park and restrict Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens. Finally, Johannes Eggestein will lead the line for FC St. Pauli against Borussia Dortmund, with Elias Saad and Noah Weisshaupt being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Vasilj; Nemeth, Wahl, van der Heyden; Treu, Irvine, Smith, Ritzka; Saad, Eggestein, Weisshaupt
Borussia Dortmund
Unlike his counterpart in the FC St. Pauli dugout, Niko Kovac barely has any issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Millerntor-Stadion. The Borussia Dortmund manager will be without only one first-team player, with Felix Nmecha recovering from a knee injury.
Gregor Kobel is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Borussia Dortmund lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs FC St. Pauli on Saturday. The backline should feature Julian Ryerson, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Ramy Bensebaini.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Marcel Sabitzer and Pascal Gross in the double pivot. Julian Brandt will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with Jamie Gittens and Karim Adeyemi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Serhou Guirassy will spearhead the Borussia Dortmund attack against FC St. Pauli on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Gross; Adeyemi, Brandt, Gittens; Guirassy
Key Stats
- FC St. Pauli and Borussia Dortmund have faced off 23 times across all competitions. The Black and Yellows lead the head-to-head battle with 16 wins (D4 L3). The hosts’ 12 defeats in the German top flight is the most they have suffered against any opponent in the Bundesliga.
- St. Pauli (18) have the worst goalscoring record in the Bundesliga this season. They have scored only seven goals at home.
- Borussia Dortmund have won two of their 11 Bundesliga away games this season. Seven of their nine league defeats have come on their travels.
- FC St. Pauli have not scored in six of their last ten Bundesliga games, keeping three clean sheets.
- Borussia Dortmund have kept two clean sheets in their three most recent games and have failed to score twice.
Player to Watch
Serhou Guirassy
While Jamie Gittens and Johannes Eggestein were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Serhou Guirassy as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s game between St. Pauli and Borussia Dortmund. The Guinean international scored the match-winning goal in the reverse fixture, the fourth of his 13 Bundesliga strikes this term.
Borussia Dortmund’s 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign has produced very few bright spots, and Guirassy has been one of them. The 28-year-old striker has scored six goals since the turn of the year, a league-high return and as many as the entire St. Pauli team in that period.
He was exceptional last week as Dortmund cruised to a 6-0 win over Union Berlin last week, finding the back of the net four times. So. Guirassy will be Niko Kovac’s go-to man for Saturday’s league game against St. Pauli.
Prediction
FC St. Pauli 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
Goalscoring has been the Achilles Heel for FC St. Pauli in 2025, with the home side finding the back of the net only six times thus far this year, as many as Serhou Guirassy. However, Borussia Dortmund’s defensive woes have meant they have struggled for clean sheets, although they have two in their last three outings.
However, the hosts also have a soft underbelly, and Borussia Dortmund should exploit that on Saturday. Serhou Guirassy should rise to the occasion again, delivering the goods in a run-of-the-mill victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Niko Kovac and his charges.
