St Pauli vs Werder Bremen – News and Probable Lineups

The fight for survival in the Bundesliga is intensifying, and the stakes will rise even higher this Sunday when St Pauli faces off against Werder Bremen at the Millerntor-Stadion.

Both teams currently find themselves in the drop zone, but a win in this critical North Derby could be pivotal in their battle to avoid relegation.

Match overview

St Pauli provided themselves with a crucial boost by securing a 2-1 win over VfB Stuttgart two weeks ago – only their fourth Bundesliga victory of the season.

However, Alexander Blessin’s squad was unable to build on that momentum last weekend, suffering a heavy 4-0 loss at the hands of a resurgent Bayer Leverkusen.

At this point, the outlook appears quite grim for the Neighbourhood Kickers, who enter this matchday three points adrift from safety.

Time is of the essence for St Pauli to rectify their situation, yet one silver lining ahead of Sunday’s clash is their improved performance at home.

Blessin’s side remains unbeaten in their last four matches at the Millerntor, which includes two wins against Stuttgart and Heidenheim.

Werder Bremen is positioned just above St Pauli in the league table, though that might be their only positive heading into this crucial fixture.

The club’s crisis alarm is ringing loud, as Bremen has dropped four of their last five Bundesliga matches, managing to score only once during that troubling stretch. In fact, the River Islanders have not found the net in seven of their last nine competitive encounters.

New head coach Daniel Thioune has not won over the supporters, partly due to his connections with fierce rivals Hamburgo SV, and his reception has not improved after his initial two games.

Losses to Freiburg and Bayern Munich have left Bremen in 16th place in the standings, a mere point away from safety and just two points ahead of their upcoming challengers St Pauli.

Compounding Bremen’s woes is their poor away form, which currently stands at three consecutive defeats and no goals scored in their last four fixtures.

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

L D D L W L

St Pauli form (all competitions):

D D L L W L

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

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Werder Bremen form (all competitions):

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Team News

On the injury front, there is positive news for St Pauli as David Nemeth has returned to first team training following his adductor surgery last September.

Connor Metcalfe, Mathias Pereira Lage, Eric Smith, and Hauke Wahl are also recovering, with the latter two anticipated to participate on Sunday.

Regarding absentees, Andreas Hountondji remains sidelined with an ankle injury, while Ricky-Jade Jones is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

As for Werder Bremen, high-profile signing Samuel Mbangula is likely to start on the bench after a series of disappointing performances.

There’s considerable pressure on the club’s second most expensive signing, but the 22-year-old will need to regain the confidence of the new head coach Thioune.

Loan striker Victor Boniface continues to be unavailable due to knee issues, while Amos Pieper and Mitchell Weiser are also on the mend from the same injury.

Defenders Maximilian Wober and Karim Coulibaly are added to the list of absentees due to thigh problems.

St Pauli probable starting XI:

Vasilj; Ando, ​​Smith, Mets; Saliakas, Sands, Irvine, Pyrka; Sinani, Fujita; Kaars

Werder Bremen probable starting XI:

bakery; Sugawara, Stark, Friedl, Agu; Stage, Lynen, Puertas; Njinmah, Topp, Schmid

The recent 4-0 loss to Leverkusen was undoubtedly a tough outcome for St Pauli, yet their improved home form cannot be overlooked.

With Werder Bremen struggling to find the net, St Pauli could leverage their home advantage to secure a vital win in their fight against relegation.