St. Pauli - Fortuna Düsseldorf

St. Pauli to bag second win in a row

TEAM NEWS

St. Pauli will again not have the long-term injured Ryo Miyaichi and Philipp Ziereis at their disposal while Christopher Buchtmann and Marc Hornschuh face fresh injuries. In addition, they will miss Joel Keller due to a suspension as the player was sent off in a lower league match with St. Pauli’s Under-23s.

Dusseldorf will be without first ‘keeper Michael Rensing again due to a broken rib while Justin Toshiki Kinjo is not ready either after suffering a knee injury.

St. Pauli

Suspended: Joel Keller

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Ryo Miyaichi (knee), Philipp Ziereis (muscle), Christopher Buchtmann (ankle), Marc Hornschuh (back)

Dusseldorf

Suspended: None

Doubtful: None

Injured/unavailable: Justin Toshiki Kinjo (knee), Michael Rensing (broken rib)

MATCH PREVIEW

MAIN PREDICTION: HOME WIN

St. Pauli came off an important win in their derby away at high-flying Holstein Kiel, registering a narrow 1-0 success. Having claimed four wins from seven league games, this encounter will prove a tough test of their credentials at home where they have only claimed one victory so far. They remain close to the top and sit in sixth despite that average run at home which is in large part down to their good results on the road.

Dusseldorf were lucky enough to find a single goal against 16^th placed Regensburg during their 1-0 home win on Wednesday. They were very poor and almost ended up with a second draw in four home games, but the win catapulted them to the top of the 2. Bundesliga standings and they now lead by two points. However, despite suffering just one loss so far, the match against St. Pauli, who themselves are potential promotion candidates, is expected to be a tough one.

The atmosphere at St. Pauli is always special and the fans support their team very well. Dusseldorf may be leading the table, but if St. Pauli can control this game they can get something out of this encounter as their opponents’ last two performances were only average. I predict a home win.

SECOND PREDICTION: HALF TIME HAD – DRAW

In St. Pauli’s last three home games in the league, three of their four goals have arrived in the second half and two of those matches have seen the teams level at half time. That is a trend I expect to continue here against Dusseldorf.

HEAD TO HEAD

Dusseldorf have won on their previous visit to St. Pauli by a 1-0 scoreline in November last year. However, they have only won three times in total in this head-to-head on their travels while St. Pauli managed to win 12 of their 17 home games.