VfB Stuttgart welcome St. Pauli to MHPArena on Friday evening as the Bundesliga’s fourth matchday gets underway, with the hosts desperate to turn around their stuttering start to the season.
| Badredine Bounani of Stuttgart on the ball against Freiburg. | Helge Prang/Getty Images |
VfB Stuttgart
It has been a rocky start for Sebastian Hoeneß’s side, who find themselves in the midst of their worst opening to a Bundesliga campaign since 2022/23 – a year that ended with a 16th-place finish and relegation playoff misery.
After narrowly beating Borussia Mönchengladbach before the international break, Die Schwaben looked set to pick up their second three points last weekend, leading Freiburg for over an hour before collapsing late on and conceding three goals inside the final 12 minutes.
Defensive fragility has become a theme, with Stuttgart conceding nine times across their last four competitive fixtures, including a chaotic DFB-Pokal tie against Eintracht Braunschweig.
A lack of ideas in the final third is also a huge concern for Hoeneß.
With Europa League commitments looming, Stuttgart need a response on home turf to prevent further pressure mounting.
Team News
Deniz Undav remains sidelined with a knee injury and is unlikely to return until October. Silas continues to miss out with an ankle problem, while Justin Diehl is recovering from a muscle injury. Fabian Bredlow is nearing fitness but is not expected to feature on Friday.
Predicted lineup – 4-2-3-1: Nübel – Vagnoman, Jeltsch, Chabot, Mittelstädt – Karazor, Stiller – Tomas, El Khannouss, Leweling – Demirovic
FC St. Pauli
In stark contrast, St. Pauli have started magnificently. Alexander Blessin’s side produced a remarkable 3-3 draw at Borussia Dortmund on opening weekend, followed it with a famous derby win at Hamburg, and then dispatched Augsburg 2-1 last time out.
After a rock-solid campaign defensively, Blessin looks to have added the extra attacking impetus that has turned Pauli into a completely different prospect in comparison to last term.
Currently sitting inside the top four, optimism is surging at the Millerntor, with supporters daring to dream of more than just survival after last season’s 14th-place finish.
Team News
Ricky-Jade Jones remains absent with a shoulder injury, while defender David Nemeth is still recovering from a groin problem. Jackson Irvine returned to the bench against Augsburg after a foot issue and is back in contention.
Predicted lineup – 3-4-1-2: Vasilj – Wahl, Smith, Dzwigala – Saliakas, Sands, Fujita, Oppie – Sinani – Hountondji, Pereira Lage
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