Relegation-threatened St. Pauli are all set to host defending champions Bayer Leverkusen at the Millerntor-Stadion on Sunday.
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen will look to return to winning ways when they hit the road to square up against St. Pauli, a side comfortably positioned above the relegation zone.
The home team are 15th on the table with 29 points in their 29 outings. They have picked up eight points from their last five outings, a run that has significantly boosted their chances of securing top-flight survival.
The Kiezkicker have a seven-point cushion over 16th-placed Heidenheim and with just five games to go, they should manage to avoid the drop. While facing Bayer Leverkusen will be a daunting task, St. Pauli will back themselves to put up a strong fight, especially after their confidence-boosting 2-1 victory over Holstein Kiel in their previous outing.
The visitors are second on the points table with 63 points in their 29 outings. Die Werkself are six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich and with only a handful of games to go, they are unlikely to defend their title.
But Xabi Alonso will be focused on ensuring they finish the season on a high. Having played out a 0-0 draw against Union Berlin last time out, Bayer Leverkusen will be eager to secure all three points against St. Pauli. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
St. Pauli
The home team will be without the services of quite a few first-team stars. Karol Mets, Sascha Burchert, James Sands, Scott Banks, Jackson Irvine, Robert Wagner, Simon Zoller, Elias Saad, Noah Weisshaupt, and Johannes Eggestein are all unavailable.
Against Bayer Leverkusen, St. Pauli will line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, where Nikola Vasilj will be in goal. David Nemeth, Hauke Wahl, and Siebe Van der Heyden will feature in the heart of the defence.
The back four will receive significant support from Manolis Saliakas and Philipp Treu, who will take charge as the wing-backs. Eric Smith and Connor Metcalfe will feature in the centre of the park. The duo will look to ensure the visitors do not dominate the possession of the ball.
Danel Sinani will take up the number ten role behind Dapo Afolayan and Morgan Guilavogui, who should be the ones leading the line for St. Pauli against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Vasilj; Nemeth, Wahl, Van der Heyden; Saliakas, Smith, Metcalfe, Treu; Sinani; Afolayan, Guilavogui
Bayer Leverkusen
Florian Wirtz could make a return to the starting XI in this fixture. While it could be a massive boost for the away side, they still remain without the services of Martin Terrier, Nathan Tella, Jeanuel Belocian, and Mario Hermoso.
Against St. Pauli, Bayer Leverkusen will continue to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Lukas Hradecky will be in goal. The back three should be made up of Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie.
They will look to keep things tight at the back and will have the support of Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo, who will feature on the flanks as wing-backs. In the centre of the park, Granit Xhaka could start alongside Aleix Garcia. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game. Wirzt and Amine Adli could be the two attacking midfielders behind Patrik Schick.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Garcia, Grimaldo; Adli, Wirtz; Schick
Key Stats
- Bayer Leverkusen won the reverse fixture at home 2-1 back in December.
- In the last 23 meetings between the two teams, both St. Pauli and Bayer Leverkusen have won eight matches each.
- Leverkusen have been unbeaten in four out of their last five matches across competitions.
- St. Pauli have failed to win eight out of their last ten league outings. They have lost five of those fixtures.
- Xabi Alonso’s team are the only team who are unbeaten on the road this season. They have the best away record in the Bundesliga having picked up 32 points in 14 outings.
Player to Watch
Patrik Schick
The 29-year-old striker might not have started every game for Xabi Alonso’s team, but he has certainly made the most out of the limited game time he has got. Schick has racked up just over 2,100 minutes of first-team action so far and he averages a goal every 94 minutes.
The experienced striker has been involved in 40 matches in total, and he has contributed towards 24 goals. Having found the back of the net just once in his last five league outings, Schick will be eager to get things back on track in this fixture.
Prediction
St. Pauli 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways when they take on a St. Pauli side still fighting to secure top-flight safety. While the defending champions are unlikely to retain their crown, Xabi Alonso will want his men to finish strong.
St. Pauli are unbeaten in their last two and will take confidence from their recent win over Holstein Kiel. But up against Bayer Leverkusen’s technical superiority and attacking depth, it is hard to see them causing an upset. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.
