St. Pauli take on the visitors Hoffenheim in the round 26 match of German Bundesliga. The match will be played on Friday, March 14th at Millerntor-Stadiom (Hamburg).
St. Pauli have mostly hovered in Germany’s second division, but last season they unexpectedly clinched the championship. However, their young coach, who led them to that triumph, departed in the summer to take charge of an ambitious Brighton side in England. His successor, Blessin—who previously worked in Belgium and Italy—has done a solid job so far. The team has managed to stay above the relegation zone with relative consistency. Now, the biggest challenge is overcoming the slump that started in February. After winning twice in January, St. Pauli could only manage a draw against Augsburg, followed by a winless stretch where they failed to score until the arrival of spring. Their recent 1-1 draw with Wolfsburg suggests some improvement, but they still need to regain momentum. At home, however, they have been fairly resilient, avoiding defeat in four of their last five league matches.
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Hoffenheim has finally found stability in 2025. The "Kraichgauer" had long struggled to live up to the ambitions of their founder, but last season marked a breakthrough. While they didn't replicate the Champions League success of the Nagelsmann era, they did return to European competition. However, they fell short of reaching the knockout stage, missing out by a maximum of two points. That disappointment was compounded by Bundesliga struggles, with relegation concerns looming. Ultimately, poor results led to Pellegrino Matarazzo's dismissal, despite his past achievements. His replacement, Ilzer, also had a slow start to 2024, despite winning his debut match. It wasn't until late February that Hoffenheim started delivering more consistent performances, picking up victories against Werder Bremen and Bochum while earning a draw with Stuttgart. Their most recent match saw them claim another point in a hard-fought draw with Heidenheim. Impressively, they have lost only once in their last five Bundesliga outings.
The two clubs met in November for the first time in over a decade, with newly promoted St. Pauli securing a 2-0 away victory. Despite playing away, Hoffenheim appears to be at least on par with St. Pauli, if not stronger. Given their recent improvement, backing Hoffenheim to avoid defeat seems like the safest bet.
Prediction for the match: Hoffenheim not to lose (X2).
