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Schalke will host St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga this Saturday in a game that could have massive ramifications in the race for promotion.
Mike Buskens’ side need a point to remain in the top two regardless of what happens with other results. A win will seal promotion for the Royal Blues, so we expect an exciting atmosphere at the Veltins Arena come Saturday.
St. Pauli need a win to ensure they stay in the hunt for a place in the top three. They are currently three points behind Werder Bremen -- who occupy third -- in the league table, so they need other results to go in their favor.
Schalke’s five-game winning run came to a chastening end against Werder Bremen nearly a fortnight ago, but they bounced back against Sandhausen in the last game with a crucial 2-1 win.
St. Pauli only have themselves to blame for their league position as they have been winless in their last five league games and have picked up just three points in the process.
Schalke vs St. Pauli Head-to-head
Schalke have a head-to-head advantage between the two teams as they have won this fixture eight times. St. Pauli have beaten the Royal Blues just three times. There have been three draws between the two sides.
St. Pauli beat Schalke 2-1 in the reverse fixture, and will hope for a similar result in the upcoming game.
Schalke form guide: W-W-W-L-W
St. Pauli form guide: L-D-D-L-D
Schalke vs St. Pauli Team News
Schalke
Thomas Ouwejan came off the bench against Sandhausen, but it remains to be seen if he will start against St. Pauli. Marvin Pieringer is a doubt, having suffered a cheekbone fracture.
Injured: Dong-gyeong Lee
Doubtful: Michael Langer, Marvin Pieringer
Suspended: None
St. Pauli
Christopher Avevor, Sebastian Ohlsson, Eric Smith, and Jannes Wieckhoff are unavailable for the clash. Marcel Beifus, Guido Burgstaller and Philipp Ziereis are all doubtful.
Injured: Christopher Avevor, Sebastian Ohlsson, Eric Smith, Jannes Wieckhoff
Doubtful: Marcel Beifus, Guido Burgstaller, Philipp Ziereis
Suspended: None
Schalke vs St. Pauli Predicted Lineups
Schalke Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Martin Fraisl; Andreas Vindheim, Mallick Thiaw, Marcin Kaminski, Kerim Calhanoglu; Victor Palsson, Ko Itakura; Dominic Drexler, Marius Bulter, Rodrigo Zalazar; Simon Terodde
St. Pauli Probable XI (4-3-1-2): Nikola Vasilj; Luca Zander, Jakov Medic, James Lawrence, Leart Paqarada; Jackson Irvine, Afeez Aremu, Marcel Hartel; Daniel-Kofi Kyereh; Lukas Daschner, Maximilian Dittgen
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Schalke vs St. Pauli Prediction
St. Pauli will not be at their fittest or strongest due to the COVID-19 outbreak in their camp. It remains to be seen if the aforementioned lineup will even take to the pitch as the players will have had just one day of training under their belt after recovering.
Schalke should hence take this opportunity and win the game. We predict a home win and a return to the top-flight for Null Vier.
Prediction: Schalke 3-1 St. Pauli
