This weekend should see an entertaining Bundesliga match as Borussia Dortmund welcomes FC St. Pauli to Signal Iduna Park. The kick-off will be on Friday night at 7:30 pm UK time since Nuri Sahin’s Dortmund would go head to head with Alexander Blessin’s St. Pauli in a very crucial fight for both teams.
Borussia Dortmund:
Borussia Dortmund is one of the most forceful teams in German football. The team has always fought for the title of the Bundesliga, and as for the UEFA Champions League, it performs constantly in it. This year is not an exception when the hopes for the championship in the Bundesliga have appeared again in Dortmund. But to stay in the competition for the title, such performances will not be enough.
The current standings of Dortmund in the table of the Bundesliga are seventh place with 10 points from six games. They are four points adrift from the leading pack of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. The recent performances of Dortmund have been promising, however. They enter the match after that 2-1 away win against 1. FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, following the exhilarating 7-1 home defeat of Celtic in the UEFA Champions League and the 4-2 home victory over VfL Bochum.
Team News:
Dortmund are expected to start in a 4-2-3-1. Gregor Kobel should be in the sticks, therefore, behind the back four of Yan Couto, Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Julian Ryerson. The holding midfield will be formed by Emre Can and Pascal Gross, with Maximilian Beier, Julian Brandt, and Jamie Gittens providing attack support. Serhou Guirassy might lead the Dortmund attack.
FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli is perhaps a somewhat less sappy profile that has just gained its way back into the Bundesliga, having won the 2. Bundesliga title last season. Their form at present, however, says otherwise. St. Pauli managed only to gain four points from six matches and sits 15th. They are currently level with Hoffenheim, who sit just below them, and only two points clear of the relegation zone.
The recent results for St. Pauli have them coming off of a 3-0 home loss to Mainz, a 3-0 away win over SC Freiburg, and a goalless draw with RB Leipzig at Millerntor-Stadion. Results like this simply pinpoint the inconsistency of St. Pauli, as they must improve if they don’t want to get sucked into a relegation fight.
Team News:
FC St. Pauli will most probably line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Nikola Vasiljev will be between the sticks, protected by a back three of Hauke Wahl, Eric Anders Smith and Karol Mets. The midfield trio will have Manolis Saliakas, Jackson Irvine, Robert Wagner, and Philipp Treu in it, while Oladapo Afolayan and Elias Saad play in advanced roles. Johannes Eggestein spearheads the attack.
Key Factors:
During 6 Bundesliga games Borussia Dortmund scored 12 times but at the same time, they have allowed as many goals too, 11.
Dortmund has won 3 and lost 2 of their last 6 Bundesliga matches.
FC St. Pauli won 1 out of the 6 Bundesliga games this season.
For 6 games, St. Pauli has conceded 9 goals which tells about some vulnerabilities in the way the team defend themselves.
Prediction:
Given the form and quality of the squad, Borussia Dortmund are expected to easily come out on top against an FC St. Pauli side in poor form. A 3-0 win for Dortmund seems probable as they look towards keeping their pursuit of the Bundesliga title going well.
Predicted Scoreline: Borussia Dortmund 3-0 FC St. Pauli
Best Odds: 131/20
Bookmaker:(Zetbet)
