Preview: St Pauli vs Mainz 05 - prediction, team news, lineups

St Pauli’s Bundesliga future hangs in the balance as the club welcomes Mainz 05 to the Millerntor Stadion for a huge Sunday afternoon clash in Hamburg.

The Kiezkicker need a victory to avoid dropping into the automatic relegation spots, while Die Nulfunfer are simply looking to end their four-match winless run.

Match preview

The clock is ticking and the alarm bells are ringing as St Pauli prepare for the first of three matches which will determine their Bundesliga future.

As things stand, the club are in the midst of a seven-match winless run, leaving them in the relegation playoff spot - just one point above Wolfsburg and five behind arch-rivals Hamburger SV.

Four of those seven games have ended in defeats, including last weekend’s painful 2-0 loss away at bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim.

St Pauli supporters expressed their frustrations with the team at the end of that loss in Heidenheim, and even head coach Alexander Blessin got a talking to from the Kiezkicker capo.

While Blessin publicly denied any suggestion of a rift between his side and the supporters, there is no doubt that the pressure pump is reaching boiling point as we approach a tense season finale.

One of the biggest issues plaguing St Pauli since the start of the season has been their paltry goal output, which currently stands at 26 - the lowest in the Bundesliga.

That issue has been particularly troubling in recent weeks, considering St Pauli have rattled the net just three times across their last seven matches.

Just five short months ago it was Mainz who were staring down the relegation barrel following a dreadful start to the season under Bo Henriksen.

After the opening 13 games in the Bundesliga, Mainz were rock-bottom of the division with just six measly points to their name.

Drastic times called for desperate measures, and Die Nulfunfer ultimately replaced Henriksen with former Union Berlin boss Urs Fischer.

Mainz have since flourished under the 60-year-old head coach, rapidly moving out of the relegation zone and into a far more comfortable mid-table position.

On top of that, the club also made continental history by reaching the quarter-final of the Europa Conference League before being beaten by Strasbourg - their greatest ever European run.

For all the positivity, Die Nulfunfer head into Sunday’s game looking to end a four-match winless run across all competitions.

The poor run of results includes last weekend’s thrilling 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich, which saw Fischer’s men squander a three-goal advantage.

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

L L D L D L

Mainz 05 Bundesliga form:

W W W L D L

Mainz 05 form (all competitions):

W W L L D L

Team News

To compound their tough run of results, St Pauli also have a handful of injuries ahead of Sunday’s huge home encounter.

English forward Ricky-Jade Jones has been out of action with an ankle injury since February, and he is unlikely to feature again this season.

In a massive blow to their midfield, Frenchman Mathias Pereira Lage will remain on the sidelines with a knee problem which kept him out of the team at Heidenheim last weekend.

American midfielder James Sands has been carrying an ankle injury since March and is unlikely to mark his return on Sunday.

If that was not enough, Japanese forward Taichi Hara is reportedly ill and could also sit Sunday’s game out.

Mainz have also got a clogged physio room, with five players currently nursing injuries.

Benedict Hollerbach, for instance, has been out since January with an Achilles tendon injury, while Jae-Sung Lee has missed the last five games with a toe problem.

Elsewhere, Maxim Leitsch (thigh), Silas (broken leg) and Maxim Dal (knee) make up the injury list.

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Ando, Wahl, Mets; Saliakas, Smith, Irvine, Pyrka; Sinani, Metcalfe; Hountondji

Mainz 05 possible starting lineup:

Batz; da Costa, Posch, Kohr; Caci, Nebel, Sano, Amiri, Mwene; Becker, Tietz