Preview, team news and predicted lineups as St. Pauli welcome Kaiserslautern to the Millerntor-Stadion for their 2. Bundesliga Matchday 3 clash on Sunday afternoon.
With both sides off to unspectacular starts in the league, Sunday presents an opportunity for both teams to get over the hump and into the win column as St. Pauli take on Kaiserslautern in Hamburg.
St. Pauli’s start to life back in the second tier has been anything but smooth under Marcel Rapp. A home draw against relegation-tipped Fürth kicked off proceedings before they surrendered a two-goal lead away to Rapp’s former side Kiel the following week, leaving the Kiezkicker still searching for their first victory and a clear identity under their new manager.
Things failed to improve in DFB-Pokal action last weekend, when goals from Marek Jenssen and Semir Telalovic proved enough for third-tier Rot-Weiss Essen to dump St. Pauli out in the first round. It was another early-season disappointment for the club, with the fans voicing their frustrations after the match.
Club captain David Nemeth has insisted his side are staying positive despite the cup exit:
“We’re obviously very unhappy about going out, but nothing has been thrown off kilter by it. We’re working very hard and staying positive, even though we haven’t secured a win yet. We know the quality we have — we see it in training and in the games.”
Kaiserslautern have also made an unspectacular start, albeit one that is far from disastrous. A solid 0-0 draw away to promotion favourites Wolfsburg kicked off their campaign, while another goalless draw at home to Karlsruher SC followed the following week, with goalkeeper Julian Krahl catching the eye in both matches.
FCK emerged victorious from their fierce DFB-Pokal derby clash against Mannheim last time out in a game marred by several stoppages, fan interruptions and police interventions. They eventually found the winning goal in the 120th minute through Ibrahim Kanate, sparking wild scenes in their rivals’ own backyard.
St. Pauli have won the last three meetings between the two sides, with Kaiserslautern prevailing just once in their last five encounters. You would have to go all the way back to 2014 for FCK’s last victory at the Millerntor.
Rapp and FCK head coach Torsten Lieberknecht have faced each other five times so far, with the latter remaining unbeaten and winning three of those matchups. Lieberknecht has, however, won just five of his 18 meetings with St. Pauli.
Team news
FC St. Paul: Matthias Pereira Lage and Gísli Thórdarson are unavailable.
1. FC Kaiserslautern: Ivan Prtajin is set to be the only absentee.
Predicted lineups
FC St. Pauli (3-4-1-2): Full; Nemeth, Mathisen, Andō; Pyrka, Fujita, Rasmussen, Oppie; Hrgota; Jones, Candle.
1. FC Kaiserslautern (3-4-2-1): Krahl; Elvedi, Gyamfi, J. Rasmussen; Joly, Kunze, Şahin, Haas; Ritter, Kanate; Berisha.