Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs St Pauli - prediction, team news, lineups

Desperate to escape the Bundesliga's automatic relegation zone, St Pauli will travel to take on Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.

BVB are on a 10-game unbeaten run in the top flight, while Kiezkicker are hoping to bounce back from defeat last time out.

Match preview

Niko Kovac's Borussia Dortmund are some way off the pace set by Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich, though to be fair to the BVB manager, the Bavarians have earned a record number of points at the halfway stage.

In any case, the Black and Yellow have enjoyed a commendable campaign of their own in 2025-26 so far, even if they have drawn more games than is ideal in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, Kovac's side secured a dominant 3-0 triumph over Werder Bremen, a clash that saw striker Serhou Guirassy come off the bench to end his seven-game goal drought.

However, that victory was just the second in five games across all competitions for BVB, though it was also their fourth in five Bundesliga outings, and kept the club four points clear of third-placed RB Leipzig.

As their team looks to extend their unbeaten streak to 11 matches and solidify their foothold in the Champions League spots, the hosts' impressive home record - that features just one loss this season - will give fans confidence against their relegation-threatened opponents.

Meanwhile, Alexander Blessin's St Pauli finished three points above the drop zone last term after being promoted from the 2.Bundesliga, but they currently find themselves in line for automatic demotion this time around.

Earlier this week, Kiezkicker were downed 2-1 by Wolfsburg, who snatched the victory with an 88th-minute goal from Dzenan Pejcinovic.

While Blessin's men are no strangers to defeat having lost 10 of their 16 league games this season, that latest disappointment ended the strugglers' overall five match unbeaten run, and the boss will be keen to avoid slipping back into a pattern of losing on Saturday.

Dropping another three points also saw St Pauli overtaken by Mainz 05, and plunged to 17th in the table, where they are now three points behind 15th-placed Augsburg.

However, Kiezkicker remain level with 16th-placed Mainz - who occupy the relegation playoff spot - and given that the club have a game in hand over their fellow strugglers, recovery is certainly still on the cards.

With that in mind, this weekend's visitors will take heart from their much-improved recent away form that includes just one defeat since November, a stark contrast to the five consecutive losses they suffered on the road at the start of the campaign.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

St Pauli form (all competitions):

Team News

Dortmund have a mostly fit squad to choose from this weekend, though 20-year-old centre-back Aaron Anselmino remains sidelined with a muscle injury.

In his absence, Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton and Niklas Sule should form Kovac's three-man backline, with Yan Couto and Julian Ryerson at wing-back.

As for St Pauli, they are lighter than ideal in midfield without Jackson Irvine and the attack-minded Danel Sinani, who are dealing with respective foot and calf injuries, not to mention that Connor Metcalfe is also a doubt.

To fill the gaps, Blessin could turn to a trio of Joel Chima Fujita, James Sands and Eric Smith in the centre of the park, while Hauke Wahl, Adam Dzwigala and Karol Mets should operate at centre-back given that David Nemeth is out with a groin issue.

Up top, striker Andreas Hountondji is set to miss the next few months due to a broken ankle, so expect to see Abdoulie Ceesay and Mathias Pereira Lage start in a partnership, with former Peterborough United forward Ricky-Jade Jones a doubt.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper Simon Spari is unavailable after suffering a ligament injury last month, though Nikola Vasilj should be on hand to line up between the sticks on Saturday.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Sule, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Ryerson; Beier, Brandt; Silva

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Dzwigala, Wahl, Mets; Pyrka, Fujita, Sands, Smith, Oppie; Ceesay, Lage

We say: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 St Pauli

Dortmund come into this game in the midst of an impressive unbeaten run, and they will be confident of continuing their streak against one of the favourites for relegation.

St Pauli have improved in recent weeks, and they will be motivated by the desire to escape the automatic drop zone, but BVB may prove too much for the visitors to overcome on Saturday.

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