Holstein Kiel v St. Pauli preview: Newcomers battle in classic relegation six-pointer

St. Pauli hope to extend the gap between them and the relegation zone with a big win away in Kiel.

Holstein Kiel

Marcel Rapp’s side salvaged a draw from fourth-placed Mainz last week, but they need more than that in the remaining six weeks to have a chance of survival. After starting the season with just two points from eight games, it’s always going to be an uphill battle in the Bundesliga for Kiel.

However, they improved a lot over the past few months. Despite their bottom of the table position, Kiel could’ve had more points if they had more experience of Bundesliga football both as a club and unit.

They will at least feature a lot in “Goal of the Season” montages. Alexander Bernhardsson scored yet another screamer by a Kiel player in the 1-1 draw away in Mainz. In the last six weeks of the season, St. Pauli and Augsburg will be their only opponents from the lower half of the standings.

Team News

Slovenian defender David Zec is suspended after his fifth yellow card of the season. Meanwhile, Lewis Holtby joined Holstein Kiel’s long injury list with a thigh problem.

St. Pauli

After four successive defeats and scoreless run, St. Pauli finally awaken in the battle to secure a place in next season’s Bundesliga. The side coached by Alexander Blessin only lost to Bayern in the last four Bundesliga outings.

With a fixture against Leverkusen coming up next week, St. Pauli have to avoid defeat at any cost away in Kiel. Their four-point advantage over Heidenheim, a team currently sit in the playoff spot, could be reduced if they face yet another back-to-back defeats.

St. Pauli’s defensive record could be a decisive factor in the final weeks of the season. The newly-promoted team only conceded 40 goals from 28 league matches. In contrast, they could do far better than their 23 goals tally in the other end of the pitch.

Team News

Apart from long-time absentee Karol Mets, James Sands and Simon Zoller, St. Pauli can count on a full squad for Saturday’s crucial fixture. Manolis Saliakas and Siebe Van der Heyden are expected to feature after slight injury issues.