Bundesliga | Gameweek 17

Jan 15, 2025 at 5.30pm UK

Vonovia Ruhrstadion

VfL Bochum vs St Pauli

Match preview

After stopping third-bottom Heidenheim in their tracks last year, Bochum began 2025 with a 2-0 defeat at Europe-chasing Mainz that left them eight points adrift of 15th-placed Hoffenheim.

With Heidenheim's encouraging 2-0 win over Union Berlin to kick off 2025, the Blues head into their second top-flight fixture of the year seven points adrift of the relegation play-off places.

Despite their miserable season to date, which has seen them win just one game in normal time and have another point deducted from a 1-1 draw at Union Berlin last month after Patrick Drewes was struck by a cigarette lighter thrown from the crowd, the Blauen are unbeaten in five matches against Wednesday's opponents.

Although none of those encounters took place in the Bundesliga, Hecking's men will be looking to extend that positive run to six games and record back-to-back home wins for the first time since December 2023, when they beat Wolfsburg (3-1) and Union Berlin (3-0).

However, the fact that they have won just once on home soil in 19 games (nine draws and nine defeats) against promoted clubs highlights a complication ahead of the midweek clash with last year's second-tier champions.

Like low-scoring Bochum (14 goals), Alexander Blessin's St. Pauli (12 goals) ended 2024 on a positive note by beating Stuttgart at the MHPArena, but the Kiezkicker were unable to replicate that success at home in the new year, although they were not embarrassed by losing to third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 1-0 defeat was the 14th-placed side's third in four matches, and their six points from the previous four games - the same tally as Wednesday's hosts - is better than that of only five Bundesliga clubs.

Regardless, ending last year with an away win should give their fans hope, as they have been more successful on the road this term, with nine of their 14 points coming on the road.

That accounts for 64% of their points since promotion, and they will be looking for consecutive away wins in the top flight for the first time since 2010, when they beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 and Hannover 1-0.

Although travelling to a ground where they last won in 2018 may not fill some fans with confidence, St. Pauli's statistical oddity of picking up maximum points in four consecutive Bundesliga matches played on a Wednesday, and Bochum's six successive defeats in top-flight matches played on the same day, may encourage fans travelling to North Rhine-Westphalia this week.

Recent Performance

VfL Bochum Bundesliga form:LLLDWL

St Pauli Bundesliga form:LWLLWL

Team News

Ivan Ordets could miss Wednesday's game with a head injury and could join Mats Pannewig and Tim Oermann on the sidelines.

Matus Bero scored in Bochum's win over Heidenheim to take his tally to three goals and an assist, while striker Philipp Hofmann will be hoping to add to his tally for the relegation-threatened hosts.

St Pauli have a number of injury concerns: Elias Saad, Johannes Eggestein and Karol Mets will all be assessed before Wednesday's match, while Lars Ritzka (muscle), Robert Wagner (hip), Connor Metcalfe (muscle), Sascha Burchert (groin), Simon Zoller (calf) and Soren Ahlers (knee) are all expected to miss the match.

With Saad and Eggestein, who have both scored twice, doubtful, the competition's top scorers Morgan Guilavogui (two) and Oladapo Afolayan (two) will be hoping to add to their tally this week.

Possible starting lineup

VfL Bochum possible starting lineup:

Drewes; Medic, Masovic, Bernardo; Passlack, Bero, Sissoko, Wittek; De Wit; Broschinski, Hofmann

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Nemeth; Saliakas, Irvine, Boukhalfa, Treu; Afolayan, Sinani, Guilavogui