Preview: St Pauli vs Hamburger SV - prediction, team news, lineups

In what will be a key battle in the race for Bundesliga survival, St Pauli will be desperate to get the better of visitors Hamburger SV on Friday at Millerntor-Stadion.

St Pauli are last in 18th place with just 12 points, and they are four points and three places from automatic saftey, whereas Hamburger are 14th with 17 points following their goalless stalemate with Borussia Monchengladbach on January 17.

Match preview

The hosts suffered a 3-2 defeat against Borussia Dortmund on January 17, and they will feel they should have taken at least a point considering they managed to come back from 2-0 down in the second half only to concede a 96th-minute winner.

It should be noted that St Pauli boast the advantage of a game in hand on the three teams directly above them, and that could be significant considering they are only one point from the division's 16th-placed relegation playoff spot.

Kiezkicker have produced the least xG (14), the fewest big chances (25) and the fewest touches in the box of any team in the Bundesliga this season.

Manager Alexander Blessin has overseen a winless period of three games, with his side losing twice while scoring three goals and conceding five times.

St Pauli have only won one of their past five league matches at home, and a defeat on Friday would be their fifth in six Bundesliga games at Millerntor-Stadion.

Hamburger should be credited for preventing Gladbach from producing a shot on target, though their failure to convert any of their 25 attempts was concerning given they have now scored just three goals in their last four matches.

The visitors' record at the other end of the pitch has been poor considering their clean sheet against Gladbach was their first in 11 Bundesliga fixtures, with the team having conceded 19 times in the 10 games prior to the stalemate.

Merlin Polzin will hope that his side can avenge their 2-0 defeat against St Pauli in August 2025, and a win would be their third triumph in five clashes against their hosts.

HSV are winless in four games - they succumbed to losses twice in that period - and they have only achieved success in two of their past 11 contests in the top flight.

Hamburger have also been beaten in each of their four most recent away trips, losing by a cumulative score of 11-3.

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

St Pauli form (all competitions):

Hamburger SV Bundesliga form:

Hamburger SV form (all competitions):

Team News

St Pauli will be unable to select midfielder Jackson Irvine or centre-back David Nemeth due to respective foot and groin injuries.

James Sands and Eric Smith are candidates to step into the hosts' double pivot, while Adam Dzwigala, Hauke Wahl and Karol Mets may start in defence.

Mathias Pereira Lage and Joel Chima Fujita featured in supportive roles behind Martijn Kaars agaisnt Dortmund, and they could be trusted together once again.

Hamburger centre-forward Yussuf Poulsen is set to miss out on Friday due to an ankle injury, though he is thought to be nearing a comeback.

Damion Downs can be expected to start as a number nine, while Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nicolai Remberg may be stationed in midfield.

Luka Vuskovic is likely to be positioned in the middle of a back three, playing alongside Nicolas Capaldo and Jordan Torunarigha.

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Dzwigala, Wahl, Mets; Pyrka, Sands, Smith, Ritzka; Fujita, Kaars, Lage

Hamburger SV possible starting lineup:

Fernandes; Capaldo, Vuskovic, Torunarigha; Jatta, Lokonga, Remberg, Muheim; Vieira, Downs, Dompe

We say: St Pauli 2-2 Hamburger SV

St Pauli will take confidence from their victory in the reverse fixture, though their record at home has been concerning.

Given Hamburger have encountered numerous difficulties on the road, there is no reason to think they can take three points, though they should have enough to take one.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.