Bundesliga | Gameweek 5

Sep 28, 2024 at 2.30pm UK

Schwarzwald-Stadion

Freiburg vs St Pauli

Match preview

There is plenty to be optimistic about this season for Freiburg fans, as they have seen their side make a very impressive start to the new season after a forgettable campaign in 2023-24 when their side finished 10th.

Die Breisgau-Brasilianer picked up their third win in four league games this season last weekend, beating Heidenheim fairly convincingly 3-1, with Ritsu Doan opening the scoring in the scond half before Vicenzo Grifo bagged a quickfire brace in just six minutes thereafter.

With that result, Freiburg's nine-points in four games is level with their best-ever tally at this stage of the season, and also marked the first time the side have recorded back-to-back home wins in 2024.

Additionally, the last time the hosts started a top-flight season with two home wins on the spin was back in the 2016-17 campaign, and they went on to win each of their first four in a row on that occasion.

Fair to say, it has been a very impressive start to life in Freiburg for Julian Schuster, whose only defeat to date was against Bayern Munich in gameweek two, and he will be confident in extending his record, given that his side have won each of their last three matches in all competitions against their upcoming opponents.

Meanwhile, after earning promotion back to the top flight last season after a 13-year hiatus, St Pauli have struggled to come to terms with the step up in class of opponents four games into the season.

Kiezkicker suffered a 2-0 defeat to Heidenheim on opening day, and followed that up with a 1-0 loss to Union Berlin and a 3-1 beating at the hands of Augsburg on the road before breaking their duck with a 0-0 draw at home to RB Leipzig last weekend.

With only one goal scored this season, St Pauli are comfortably the lowest-scoring team in the division, with even basement club Holstein Kiel having scored five times already over the first four matchdays.

Indeed, Alexander Blessin will undoubtedly be desperate to get his first win as head coach of Kiezkicker, but his side are now winless in their last 16 Bundesliga matches stretching back to their last top-flight campaign in 2010-11.

Recent Performance

Freiburg Bundesliga form:WLWW

Freiburg form (all competitions):DWWLWW

St Pauli Bundesliga form:LLLD

St Pauli form (all competitions):WWLLLD

Injuries and suspensions

Freiburg

38 M. Gregoritsch

25 K. Sildillia

37 M. Rosenfelder

26 M. Philipp

11 D. Kyereh

5 M. Gulde

34 M. Roehl

St Pauli

33 Maurides

29 M. Guilavogui

28 S. Ahlers

30 S. Burchert

27 S.Zoller

Possible starting lineups

Freiburg(4-2-3-1)

1Atubolu(GK)

17Kübler(DR)

3Lienhart(DC)

28Ginter(DC)

30Günter(DL)

8Eggestein(DMC)

6Osterhage(DMC)

42Doan(AMR)

18Dinkçi(AMC)

32Grifo(AML)

20Adamu(FW)

St Pauli(3-4-3)

22Vasilj(GK)

3Mets(DC)

5Wahl(DC)

8Smith(DC)

2Saliakas(DMR)

23Treu(DML)

7Irvine(MC)

16Boukhalfa(MC)

17Afolayan(FWR)

11Eggestein(FW)

26Saad(FWL)