St. Pauli vs. VfB Stuttgart preview: Hosts look to secure survival
St. Pauli
The hosts are in 14th place with 31 points, six points clear of the 16th-placed relegation playoff spot with three games remaining, and they were able to hold Werder Bremen, who had won their previous four games, to a goalless draw last time out, limiting them to just one big chance.
The clean sheet was their first in five matches, and it highlights their solid defensive record, with the third-best defensive record in the Bundesliga, having conceded only 36 goals this season.
Head coach Alexander Blessin’s side will secure survival if they win and 16th-placed Heidenheim fail to beat last-placed VfL Bochum on Friday. They will also remain a Bundesliga team if they avoid defeat and Heidenheim loses. St Pauli are unbeaten in their last four matches, drawing three and winning one, with their only loss in the past seven coming from a narrow 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on March 29th.
They are also undefeated in their last three home outings, with one win, but they have been inconsistent at Millerntor-Stadion overall, with seven losses and three draws in their last 12.
Team News
In terms of team news, St Pauli will be without midfielder Conor Metcalfe, who was sent off against Werder Bremen. Blessin will also be without Jackson Irvine and James Sands.
Carlo Boukhalfa and Eric Smith are expected to start in midfield behind forwards Noah Weißhaupt, Morgan Guilavogui, and Danel Sinani, although attacker Simon Zoller is also injured.
With centre-back Karol Mets and goalkeeper Sascha Burchert still recovering from injuries, Nikola Vasilj may start in goal behind central defenders David Nemeth, Hauke Wahl, and Siebe Van der Heyden.
VfB Stuttgart
Stuttgart, on the other hand, dominated attacking metrics against Heidenheim, creating nearly two xG and two big chances, while also preventing their opponents from registering any shots on target from inside the box.
However, head coach Sebastian Hoeneß will be concerned by their defensive fragility, with Stuttgart conceding seven goals in their last three matches, despite facing just over three xG. Die Schwaben lost 1-0 to St Pauli in the reverse fixture on December 21, although they had won six of the previous seven encounters between the two sides.
Stuttgart’s recent Bundesliga form has been worrying, with only one win in their last 10 matches and six defeats. However, they have shown more resilience away from home, drawing three, winning one, and losing just one of their last five matches on the road.
Team News
Stuttgart will be missing forwards El Bilal Toure and Justin Diehl, while in midfield, Enzo Millot is not expected to return until mid-May.
With centre-back Dan-Axel Zagadou also ruled out, Finn Jeltsch and Jeff Chabot are expected to feature in the heart of Stuttgart's defence.
