Freiburg take on newly promoted FC St. Pauli.

Freiburg vs. FC St. Pauli kicks off at 14:30 [GMT+1] on Saturday, September 28 at Europa-Park Stadion.

The hosts will be full of confidence after their remarkable second-half performance against Heidenheim, where Vincenzo Grifo's well-taken brace [59', 63'] propelled them to their third win of the season from four matches [3W, 0D, 1L]. For Freiburg, this early-season form could signal an impressive season ahead. Their tally of nine points after four games equals their best record at this stage of the competition, a feat they also achieved during the 2022/23 season. Notably, Freiburg have started their home campaign in impressive fashion with two consecutive home wins, a feat they last managed in the 2016/17 season, when they went on to win their first four home matches. Meanwhile, Freiburg's recent record against St. Pauli has been less than ideal. In their eight Bundesliga meetings, Freiburg have only managed one victory, a 4-0 win at home back in April 1997 under then-coach Volker Finke. Since then, they have struggled against the Kiezkicker, drawing two and losing two of their last four encounters. Only against Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund [8% & 10%] has Freiburg had a lower winning percentage in the topflight than against St. Pauli [13%]. Freiburg manager Julian Schuster is expected to maintain the 4—2—3—1 formation, with Junior Adamu leading the attack. However, the team is facing significant injury challenges, with as many as seven players sidelined. Merlin Röhl is ruled out with an ankle injury, along with Maximilian Philipp and Kiliann Sildillia, who are also out.

On the other hand, St. Pauli are coming off a hard-earned goalless draw against RB Leipzig, which saw them claim their maiden point and first clean sheet of the season. Manager Alexander Blessin praised his team's disciplined and well-organised performance against Leipzig. ‘We were very well organised and kept things tight, making it tough for Leipzig to find any space,’ he said. Despite this positive result, St. Pauli remains winless in 16 Bundesliga matches, a streak that stretches back to their last stint in the topflight, which ended in a 13-year absence from Germany’s premier division. With only one point from four games, the Kiezkicker needs to pick up points soon to boost their survival hopes. With a three-man defence setup, Blessin is expected to deploy a 3—5—2, with Morgan Guilavogui and Johannes Eggestein tasked with leading the attack. St. Pauli are also struggling with injuries. Simon Zoller is unavailable, while both Sascha Burchert and Sören Ahlers are sidelined with muscle and knee injuries, respectively.