St. Pauli vs Bayern München preview: St. Pauli welcome league leaders
St. Pauli
St Pauli managed just 32% possession and registered seven shots against Hoffenheim, who tallied 12 attempts. However, both teams created two significant scoring opportunities in the match.
The win marked St Pauli’s first victory in five outings, following a run of three losses and a draw, and it also secured their second consecutive clean sheet.
Head coach Alexander Blessin acknowledged his satisfaction with the three points but noted that Hoffenheim posed a consistent threat from the flanks. He also remarked that his players could have shown more aggression when out of possession.
So far in the 2024-25 Bundesliga season, Blessin's side has scored only seven goals while conceding 11, making them the league's lowest scorers but joint fourth-best defensively.
St. Pauli are still searching for their first home win of the season, having drawn twice and lost twice in their four home games. However, they’ve managed to keep two clean sheets in those fixtures.
Team News
St Pauli are dealing with several absences, as goalkeepers Ben Alexander Voll, Soren Ahlers, and Sascha Burchert are sidelined, along with wide player Philipp Treu.
This leaves Nikola Vasilj as the clear choice in goal, with Manolis Saliakas and Lars Ritzka likely to feature as wing-backs. In attack, Blessin is expected to field Oladapo Afolayan, Johannes Eggestein, and Morgan Guilavogui, as attackers Conor Metcalfe and Elias Saad, along with strikers Scott Banks and Simon Zoller, are unavailable.
Bayern München
Bayern München edged past Benfica 1-0 in their fourth Champions League fixture on Wednesday, with Jamal Musiala securing the win through a 67th-minute strike.
Manager Vincent Kompany’s team excelled defensively, restricting Benfica to just one shot throughout the match. This victory serves as a timely confidence boost for Kompany, as Bayern had suffered defeats in their previous two Champions League outings.
In their recent Bundesliga match against Union Berlin, Bayern showcased similar dominance, generating over 2.5 expected goals (xG) while limiting Union to under 0.5 xG.
Bayern’s defensive form has been impressive, with four consecutive clean sheets across all competitions, coupled with an offensive output of 13 goals in those games.
The Bavarians have won their last three Bundesliga matches and are unbeaten in six, with four wins and two draws in that span.
Kompany’s squad has been particularly formidable away from home, winning four of their five Bundesliga road games and amassing 22 goals in those matches.
Team News
Bayern have fewer injury issues but will miss midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, and right-back Sacha Boey, all of whom could return soon.
Defenders Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic remain out until December, which could see Kompany opt for a back line featuring Raphael Guerreiro, Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae, and Alphonso Davies.
Up front, Harry Kane is set to start, likely joined by forwards Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, and Kingsley Coman.
Click here to see our predicted St. Pauli vs. Bayern lineups.