St. Pauli vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt’s pursuit of a fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga continues at the Millerntor-Stadion against relegation-battling St. Pauli. 

Two victories from their final four Bundesliga matches of 2024 (L2) fortified St. Pauli’s effort to avoid immediate relegation, opening a promising-looking four-point gap to the bottom three. Eager to stave off the drop, Alexander Blessin’s men have completed three winter signings to bolster their squad. Finding their feet at home could be paramount, considering just five of St. Pauli’s 14 Bundesliga points this season came on this ground (W1, D2, L4), with ‘Die Kiezkicker’ netting just three goals at an average of 0.42 per game. In fact, except for a 3-1 win against fellow promoted rivals, Holstein Kiel, they’ve failed to find the back of the net in six of their seven home league encounters this term, diminishing their hopes of pulling off a first win against Frankfurt since 2011.

Meanwhile, the Christmas break came at an opportune moment for ‘Die Adler’ as they ended the calendar year on a disappointing three-game winless run in the Bundesliga (D1, L2), compromising their top-four hopes. Indeed, a 3-1 home loss to Mainz last time out saw Frankfurt’s lead on the fifth place shrink to only two points, amplifying the need for a fifth away league win of the season (W4, D1, L3). That might be easier said than done, considering Dino Toppmoller’s men have dropped points on three of their last five Bundesliga road trips (D1, L2). High scoring has been a common theme in that stretch, with four of those five matches featuring over 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for an action-packed contest.