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

St Pauli’s battle for Bundesliga survival continues this Saturday afternoon when they welcome Champions League-chasing VfB Stuttgart to the Millerntor-Stadion.

The hosts have not tasted victory since mid-December, while the Swabians are looking to bag their fifth straight victory across all competitions.

Match preview

A tough start to the calendar year just got a lot tougher for St Pauli, who were dumped out of the DFB Pokal quarter-final on Tuesday following a 3-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.

If losing the match was not bad enough, the struggling Kiezkickers were dealt another huge blow after losing Ricky-Jade Jones to a twisted ankle - an injury which has ended the Englishman’s season.

Head coach Alexander Blessin is under growing pressure to turn things around, but with five points separating his men from safety, time is running out to secure Bundesliga status for another season.

Things are going rather well for the club off the pitch, considering St Pauli are set to record a €100m turnover for the first time in their history, though fans would love to combine those successes with some much-needed Bundesliga points.

One positive for Blessin and his men is the fact they are unbeaten at home since November, though their last two outings at the Millerntor ended in draws against Hamburger SV and RB Leipzig.

A DFB Pokal semi-final, European knockout football, and a Bundesliga top-four battle - it is fair to say that VfB Stuttgart are in the midst of a really exciting time.

Since joining the club in 2023, head coach Sebastian Hoeness has already masterminded one trophy win, and he appears to be on track to achieve more great things this season.

The Swabians have only lost one of their last 11 games across all competitions, and they have won their last four outings - three of them to nil.

While Stuttgart may not have the same level of resources as some of their rivals, the club have been able to successfully balance league, cup and European duties.

When it comes to the Bundesliga, Stuttgart have won four of their last five games, leapfrogging RB Leipzig into the top four and sitting just six points adrift of second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

St Pauli Bundesliga form:

D L L D D L

St Pauli form (all competitions):

L L D D L L

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

D W W D W W

Stuttgart form (all competitions):

D L W W W W

Team News

As previously mentioned, St Pauli are without Jones for the rest of the season, with the 23-year-old set to undergo surgery on his ankle in Munich - a procedure overseen by specialist Dr. Markus Walther.

Head coach Blessin recently revealed that defender Hauke Wahl is also set to miss the game with Stuttgart due to a ligament strain.

Elsewhere, Andreas Hountondji, Connor Metcalfe and David Nemeth are all out with injuries and will have to watch Saturday’s game from the sidelines.

Stuttgart, on the other hand, will be without teenage midfielder Lazar Jovanovic, who continues to struggle with a back injury.

Defender Dan-Axel Zagadou will also be out of action as he continues his recovery from a tendon injury - a problem which has kept him on the sidelines for most of the season.

There are also doubts over the fitness of Nikolas Nartey and Tiago Tomas, making the task of rotation a tricky one for Hoeness.

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Ando, Smith, Mets; Saliakas, Rasmussen, Sands, Pyrka; Sinani, Fujita; Kaars

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Assignon, Al-Dakhil, Chabot, Hendriks; Stiller, Chema; El Khannouss, Undav, Leweling; Demirovic

We say: St Pauli 1-3 Stuttgart

One of the few positives for St Pauli at the moment is their home form, but that is unlikely to stop a rampant Stuttgart side from continuing their top-four pursuit.

The Swabians are looking to claim their third straight win over St Pauli, and considering the way they are playing, you certainly would not put it past them.

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