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

St Pauli will be looking to end their woeful run of losses when they welcome Hoffenheim to the Millerntor-Stadion for a tasty Sunday evening Bundesliga clash.

Die Kiezkickers are staring down the barrel of a fourth straight defeat, while Die Kraichgauer are on the hunt for just their second league win since late August.

Match preview

Things looked so rosy for St Pauli in the very early weeks of the season, primarily thanks to a thrilling 3-3 draw with Borussia Dortmund, a 2-0 win over arch-rivals Hamburger SV away at the Volksparkstadion, and a 2-1 success over Augsburg.

That home victory against Fuggerstadter was as good as it got for St Pauli, who have since embarked on a three-match losing run in the Bundesliga.

Defeats against Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen have seen Alexander Blessin’s men tumble down the standings from the lofty heights of fourth all the way to 11th.

The international break certainly came at a good time for the Kiezkickers, who will now be looking to bounce back against a team they have beaten twice in the Bundesliga last season.

In order to spark a turnaround in form, St Pauli will need to up their goalscoring game, considering they have only scored once across their last three matches.

Hoffenheim are level on points with the upcoming opponents as they prepare for just their second trip to the Millerntor in 15 years.

Die Kraichgauer are also in the midst of poor form, failing to win any of their last three Bundesliga games – this includes a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to FC Koln just before the international break.

Hoffenheim have only managed one win from their last five competitive games, which came away in the capital against Union Berlin.

Away from the negatives, Hoffenheim boast one of the best away records in the league, picking up seven points from their three matches on the road. In other words, all of their Bundesliga points this season have come away from home.

Wins at Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin were followed up by a draw at Freiburg, and Hoffenheim will now be looking to continue that impressive trend when they travel to Hamburg.

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

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St Pauli form (all competitions):

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Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

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Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

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Team News

St Pauli remain without defender David Nemeth, with the 24-year-old still nursing a groin injury which has seen him out of action since August.

English forward Ricky-Jade Jones is also expected to remain on the sidelines as he recovers from a shoulder problem which has prevented him from making his competitive St Pauli debut.

Midfielder Jackson Irvine is nearing a return, though Sunday’s game could come a little too soon for the 32-year-old Australian.

Hoffenheim, on the other hand, are still dealing with a number of injuries as the team returns from the international break.

Defender Koki Machida, for instance, remains out of action due to his knee injury. The same goes for Czech forward Adam Hlozek, who has been nursing a foot problem since the summer.

Frenchman Valentin Gendrey is out with an ankle injury, while youngster Hennes Behrens has a hamstring issue.

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Dzwigala, Smith, Ritzka; Pyrka, Sands, Fujita, Oppie; Sinani; Kaars, Pereira Lage

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Coufal, Hranac, Hajdari, Bernardo; Kramaric, Avdullahu, Burger; Lemperle, Asllani, Toure

We say: St Pauli 1-2 Hoffenheim

The international break came at a good time for St Pauli, though shaking off their losing run will be a lot easier said than done.

Hoffenheim, for whatever reason, love to play away from home, and we are backing the visitors to continue their epic Bundesliga road trip with another set of three points.

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