Matchday news #FCSPB04: Up against solid FC St. Pauli defence

#FCSPB04 – match facts

FC St. Pauli did not lose any of their first ten home games against Bayer 04 (seven wins, three draws) – the Boys in Brown have not been as successful against any other current Bundesliga side. The Werkself did win 1-0 in the eleventh and last meeting at the Millerntor-Stadion in November 2010. After that match, the two clubs first met again this season in the Hinrunde with the Black and Reds winning 2-1. The overall record for this fixture: eight wins for Bayer 04, seven draws, eight wins for FCSP with 33 goals scored by the Werkself and 32 by St. Pauli.

The main strength of FC St. Pauli is their defence. That was the case when they were promoted with the best defence in Bundesliga 2 only conceding 36 goals. And they are also difficult to score against in the top flight. The St. Pauli defence is currently the fourth best in the Bundesliga with 35 goals conceded to date. Only Bayern Munich (29) plus the Werkself and Mainz 05 (34 each) have let in fewer goals. However, with just 25 goals scored FCSP have the least prolific attack.

focus on st. pauli

FC St. Pauli are on course to achieve their target for the season. The win away to Holstein Kiel last weekend saw the newcomers from the Hanseatic city take a big step forward in terms of staying up. Defender Philipp Treu sounded a warning: “However it could still be tight. We now have five finals and we know what the remaining fixtures are.” For the clash with the double winners, FCSP must manage without their captain Jackson Irvine for the first time this season. Further information on St. Pauli can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.

Tickets only available on Bayer 04 App

3,000 Werkself fans will be supporting Bayer 04 in the away game at St. Pauli. A message for the fans: Tickets for the game are only available on the Bayer 04 app. Further information is available HERE.

For travelling fans, the Bayer 04 Fan Liaison team have again put together all the key information – click HERE for the fan information.

Storks is the ref

The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Sören Storks as the match referee. The 36-year-old has previously been in charge of six games involving the Werkself (five wins, one draw). Storks’ assistant referees today are Thorben Siewer and Alexander Sather with Tobias Welz in action as the VAR.

DAZN, Werkself Radio and Live text updates

The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. As ever, supporters unable to be at the match can follow the game on Werkself Radio. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Niko Hartmann. Andreas Fischer, who played for the Black and Reds from 1989 to 1994 and won the DFB Pokal in 1993, joins Niko as today's guest. In addition, the live text update service will keep fans up-to-date. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.

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