Preview:Freiburg vs St Pauli - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh from their latest European victory, Freiburg return to domestic duties this Sunday as they welcome a struggling St Pauli side to the Europa-Park Stadion for a big Bundesliga clash.

The hosts are currently enjoying a strong run of form across all competitions, while the away side are down in the dumps after six straight league defeats.

Match preview

Freiburg fans were inevitably concerned when their team kicked off the new Bundesliga season with a couple of heavy defeats to Augsburg and FC Koln.

It is fair to suggest that very few of those fans would have expected their team to go on a terrific 12-match run, which includes a host of impressive European results and just one defeat.

Speaking of their continental exploits, Julian Schuster and his men have made the Europa League look like a walk in the park, going unbeaten in their first four matches and winning three of them.

Freiburg travelled to the French south coast on Thursday and came away with a hugely impressive 3-1 victory over OGC Nice – a result which leaves the German club second in the league phase of the competition.

When it comes to their efforts in the Bundesliga, Freiburg have accumulated 10 points from their opening nine games after drawing more matches than any other side in the competition.

Breisgau-Brasilianer have played out four stalemates in the league this season, with all four coming in the last five matches.

While Freiburg are on the rise, St Pauli are heading in the opposite direction after enduring a woeful six-match losing run in the Bundesliga.

The dramatic slump in results caught many people off guard, especially after a promising start to the season which saw Kiezkicker claim seven points from three games.

Two months on from their last win in the competition, St Pauli are still locked on seven points and currently boast the joint-worst attack – alongside bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim and Hamburger SV.

Alexander Blessin and his men won 3-0 on their last trip to Freiburg almost exactly a year ago, and they will be looking to channel a similar performance as they look to officially end their losing run.

Freiburg Bundesliga form:

Freiburg form (all competitions):

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

St Pauli form (all competitions):

Team News

Despite their busy schedule, Freiburg have managed to avoid any major injury worries and are heading into the weekend in pretty good nick.

Daniel Kofi Kyereh, who has been out for almost three years with an ACL injury, is reportedly edging towards what will be a momentous return to competitive football. That moment, however, is unlikely to take place this weekend.

Elsewhere, Eren Dinkci and Patrick Osterhage are both recovering from hip and muscular injuries and could miss Sunday’s fixture.

St Pauli, on the other hand, will not be able to count on Adam Dzwigala after the defender picked up an abdominal problem.

David Nemeth, who is yet to play a minute of Bundesliga action this season, remains on the sidelines with a groin injury.

Freiburg possible starting lineup:

Atubolu; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Manzambi; Beste, Holer, Grifo; Adamu

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Mets; Saliakas, Sands, Fujita, Oppie; Pereira Lage, Afolayan; Hountondji