The 2. Bundesliga serves up an interesting encounter this weekend as 1. FC Magdeburg welcome FC St. Pauli to the Avnet Arena.
The hosts have made an impressive start to the campaign, particularly on home soil, and will be looking to strengthen their position in the promotion picture. Meanwhile, St. Pauli arrive in Saxony-Anhalt hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing defeat to Nürnberg and end their remarkable run of away draws.
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With both sides having ambitions of challenging towards the top end of the table, Sunday’s meeting promises to be an intriguing contest.
1. FC Magdeburg
Magdeburg head into Sunday’s encounter sitting fifth in the standings with 17 points from their opening ten matches, having established themselves as one of the division’s most dangerous attacking sides.
Petrik Sander’s team were held to a 1-1 draw away to Darmstadt last weekend, with Tobias Müller giving the visitors an early lead before the hosts restored parity.
Although the result prevented Magdeburg from making further ground on the leading sides, their overall performances have been encouraging, particularly at the Avnet Arena.
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Indeed, Magdeburg currently boast the joint-best home record in the division, having collected 12 points from their five home fixtures, scoring 15 goals in the process. Four victories from those matches underline the difficulty Sunday’s visitors will face.
Their attacking output has also been particularly impressive, with 21 goals scored across their opening ten league matches. Emmanuel Iyoha and Mateusz Żukowski have been especially influential, contributing 11 goals between them.
However, Sander is refusing to underestimate the challenge posed by St. Pauli, despite their recent defeat to Nürnberg.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, the Magdeburg coach described the visitors as a confident team and dismissed the idea that last weekend’s performance would necessarily be repeated.
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Sander also highlighted St. Pauli’s dominance against Nürnberg, suggesting that the 3-1 scoreline did not accurately reflect the balance of play.
Magdeburg will therefore need to be at their best if they are to maintain their impressive home record and continue their push towards the promotion places.
FC St. Pauli
St. Pauli travel to Magdeburg looking to respond after suffering a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Nürnberg last weekend.
Despite enjoying lengthy spells of possession and creating several promising opportunities, Marcel Rapp’s side were ultimately punished for their lack of efficiency in front of goal, conceding twice late in the contest.
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The result leaves the Hamburg outfit eighth in the standings with 12 points, having recorded just two victories from their opening ten league matches.
One of the biggest frustrations for Rapp will undoubtedly be his team’s inability to turn positive performances into victories. Six of their opening ten league fixtures have ended in draws, while they have scored just 12 goals.
Their away record is particularly unusual, with all five of their away league matches this season ending in draws. While that demonstrates their ability to remain competitive on the road, they will be eager to finally turn one of those results into three points.
Rapp will also be aware that Magdeburg represent a particularly difficult challenge, given their impressive home form and attacking threat.
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Speaking ahead of Sunday’s fixture, the St. Pauli coach highlighted Magdeburg’s individual quality, particularly their willingness to take opponents on in one-on-one situations.
“They are a team that dribbles a lot. That is something special in this league, but we are preparing for it. We have to win a lot of duels,” Rapp explained.
The visitors will also be hoping that their attacking players can become more clinical after their frustrating performance against Nürnberg. Abdoulie Ceesay and Branimir Hrgota are expected to carry much of the responsibility in the final third.
A positive result would be particularly valuable for St. Pauli, who could move closer to the promotion contenders with a victory.
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Head-to-head record
St. Pauli have historically enjoyed the better of this fixture, winning six of the first eight meetings between the clubs, with the remaining two ending in draws.
However, Magdeburg finally ended that unwanted record during their most recent encounter in February 2024, recording a memorable 1-0 victory at the Avnet Arena.
Baris Atik scored the decisive goal in the 72nd minute, bringing an end to St. Pauli’s remarkable 20-game unbeaten run in the league at the time during their promotion season.
That victory was Magdeburg’s first against the Hamburg outfit, and they will be hoping to repeat the achievement on Sunday.
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St. Pauli’s last victory in this fixture came in February 2023, when they recorded a 2-1 success.
Team news
Magdeburg will continue to be without Lubambo Musonda, who remains sidelined with an Achilles tendon rupture. Moritz-Broni Kwarteng is also unavailable for Sunday’s encounter.
There is more encouraging news regarding Mateusz Żukowski, however, with the forward expected to be available after recovering from a shoulder contusion which kept him out of the Darmstadt fixture.
Żukowski’s potential return would provide a significant boost to Sander’s attacking options, particularly given his contribution alongside Iyoha this season.
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St. Pauli also still has a few absentees. Rony Jansson has returned to full training after his recent absence, but Rapp confirmed that Sunday’s encounter would come too soon for the defender.
Elsewhere, Mathias Pereira Lage and Gisli Thórdarson are also set to miss out.
Otherwise, the St. Pauli coach confirmed that the remainder of his squad were available for selection, providing him with plenty of options as he looks to find the right attacking combination.
Martijn Kaars, a former Magdeburg forward, has also been discussed following his recent struggles in front of goal. Rapp praised his application in training but acknowledged that the striker is currently lacking the goals to match his performances.
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Predicted lineups
1. FC Magdeburg (4-3-3): Reimann; Nadjombe, MacNulty, Müller, Nollenberger; Michel, Hyryläinen, Müsel; Atik, Żukowski, Iyoha
FC St. Pauli (3-4-1-2): Voll; Smith, Nemeth, Ritzka; Pyrka, Fujita, Rasmussen, Oppie; Metcalfe; Ceesay, Hrgota.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
