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

The fourth round of games in the Bundesliga gets underway with an intriguing clash at the MHP Arena between strugglers VfB Stuttgart and high-flying St Pauli this Friday night.

The hosts have struggled to find their feet this season, winning just one of their opening three matches in the league. The visitors, on the other hand, are yet to taste defeat following a terrific start to the season.

Match preview

Having lost two of their first three Bundesliga games, Stuttgart are in the midst of their worst start to a season since 2022-23 – a campaign which ended with a woefully disappointing 16th-place finish.

Last weekend marked a particularly frustrating low for the Swabians, who led Freiburg for over an hour before conceding three goals inside the final 12 minutes.

Defence has been a serious issue for Stuttgart since the start of the campaign. The team has shipped five goals in three league games, while also conceding four in their DFB Pokal clash with Eintracht Braunschweig last month – a game which they eventually won following a lengthy penalty shootout.

The Swabians have a busy season ahead, with the club preparing to mix domestic duties with Europa League football. Bearing that in mind, they will be hoping for a sharp turnaround in results – starting with Friday’s clash against St Pauli.

While Stuttgart are struggling to put points on the board, their upcoming rivals are riding an incredible wave of momentum.

The League Buccaneers came back from 3-1 down against Borussia Dortmund on the opening weekend of the season, scoring two late goals to seal an impressive point.

Just days later, Alexander Blessin and his men beat their fierce rivals Hamburger SV away at the Volksparkstadion, marking their first victory of the new Bundesliga season.

Last weekend, St Pauli continued to build momentum as the Kiezkickers picked up a 2-1 win over Augsburg – a result which took them into the top four, alongside FC Koln, Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

Finishing 14th last season was a monumental achievement for the club, but considering their strong start to the new campaign, fans are starting to dream of bigger things.

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

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Stuttgart form (all competitions):

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St Pauli Bundesliga form:

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St Pauli form (all competitions):

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Team News

Stuttgart head into Friday’s fixture without forward Deniz Undav, who still needs a few weeks to complete his recovery from a knee injury.

Congo international Silas is yet to make his debut for the Swabians after picking up an ankle injury during pre-season. He will remain on the sidelines alongside Justin Diehl, who is out of action due to a muscle injury.

In better news for the hosts, goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow is nearing his return from a knee injury, though he is unlikely to feature on this occasion.

St Pauli, on the other hand, are still without Englishman Ricky-Jade Jones, who continues to nurse a shoulder injury and is yet to play a minute of competitive football for his new team.

David Nemeth will join him on the sidelines, with the defender still carrying a groin injury.

Australian midfielder Jackson Irvine made the bench against Augsburg after recovering from a foot problem and is available for selection ahead of Friday’s trip to Stuttgart.

Stuttgart possible starting lineup: Nubel; Vagnoman, Jeltsch, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Tomas, El Khannouss, Leweling; Demirovic

St Pauli possible starting lineup: Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Dzwigala; Pyrka, Sands, Fujita, Oppie; Sinani; Hountondji, Pereira Lage