2. Bundesliga 2022/23 MD24 Preview: St. Pauli vs Greuther Fürth
There is never a dull moment in the 2. Bundesliga as Germany’s second division is one often of extremes. St. Pauli ended 2022 in dire straits, languishing in 15th and coach Timo Schultz kicked to the curb in favour of a fresh voice in Fabian Hürzeler. The cult club was in desperate need of a reboot.
And that’s what they got
St. Pauli enter Matchday 24 as the only side yet to drop in 2023, a perfect 6 wins from 6 which has seen The boys in brown catapult into 7th. Last time out, St. Pauli were able to squeeze past Paderborn 1:2 thanks to a brace from Lukas Daschner.
The opponent seeking to put an end to St. Pauli’s good run is Greuther Fürth. A club that went through its reboot of sorts under new Alexander Zorniger, since the change Die Kleeblatt have managed to climb up to 11th. Not in immediate danger of relegation but not entirely safe. In their last outing, Fürth “welcomed” back former coach Stefan Lietl in a game that ended 1:1
Will we be talking about 7th heaven for St. Pauli or will the luck of the shamrock favour the boys from Fürth? We seek to find these answers in this weekend's 2. Bundesliga match of the week preview.
Last time they met
Greuther Fürth 2:2 St. Pauli
SGF: (48’ Branimir Hrgota, 52’ Jackson Irvine “OG”)
FCSP: (18’ Marcel Hartel, 85’ Connor Metcalfe)
When the two sides met on Matchday 7 we saw a thoroughly dramatic finale as both Greuther Fürth and St. Pauli were still finding their feet. It was the perfect start for the visitors who took the lead when Leart Paqarada’s chipped ball found Marcel Hartel for his first goal of the season, an advantage they’d hold until the break.
But, Fürth would turn the game on its head after the interval when 3 minutes into the second half Branimir Hrgota placed one past a helpless Nikola Vasilj. Then, just moments later Die Kleeblatt would take the lead. Tobias Raschl’s delicate ball was on target to find Armindo Sieb, but Jackson Irvine’s intervention wasn’t good enough as the ball went into his own net.
As Fürth were on course for their first win of the season under then head coach Marc Schneider, St. Pauli would strike back. Igor Matonović’s initial attempt was blocked, but the ball spilled out to substitute Connor Metcalfe whose low pile driving effort was too good for Andreas Linde.
Key players
Jackson Irvine
Leading the way for St. Pauli is 30-year-old Australian Jackson Irvine. Part of the leadership group at St. Pauli, Irvine has produced an excellent second season at the Millerntor Stadion producing a dynamic threat in midfield.
At the defensive end, Irvine brings grunt and physicality in the engine room winning 281 tackles and 90 aerial duels. This ranks Irvine in the top 15 of 2. Bundesliga players. He’s also proved his worth at set-pieces and going forward with 5 goals to his name.
The versatile midfielder is the rock alongside Marcel Hartel, with this midfield duo St. Pauli are always a strong chance to win the midfield battle and gain the competitive advantage.
Branimir Hrgota
Branimir Hrgota was on his way to 1. FC Köln early in the season, but with a deal not going through Fürth were real benefactors in keeping the Bosnian midfielder. Throughout his career, Hrgota played as a number 9 who showed flashes but was often not good enough at the Bundesliga level.
But since joining Fürth in 2019, Hrgota has reinvented himself as a dynamic number 10 with excellent playmaking ability to combine with his goal scoring prowess.
This season has been no different with Hrgota carrying the goal scoring load for Fürth. In 23 appearances, Hrgota has 8 goals to his name, being the only multiple goal scorer for the club this season.
Under Alexander Zorniger, Hrgota has thrived under the Red Bull style of football, and if Fürth are to win on Saturday they will need another large contribution on Saturday.
From the coaches
The pre-game press conferences were completed on Thursday, here’s what they had to say.
Fabian Hürzeler
"In Greuther Fürth we face another big, big challenge. Their style of play has a lot of Red Bull in it, i.e. lots of sprints, good defending of the space and quick transitional play."
"They’re among the teams who put the most sprints in. We know what we’re up against but we’ll try to stay true to our style of play and look to bring the same principles to the pitch."
"We do try to be bold and early with our substitutions, but it has to fit what’s happening on the pitch, which is why we don’t always use our full contingent of subs. It has nothing to do with the reserve players or the quality on the bench."
"In my team I have experts in their respective positions. I trust them. That includes the medical department, of course. Apart from two long-term absentees, we have hardly anyone sidelined at the moment. Otherwise everyone is available."
""We had good presence against Paderborn, especially in the first half, and defended the gaps well. Players like Branimir Hrgota like to operate in these gaps and we have to be on him. He’s very good in space and can be the difference."
"The pitch here at the Millerntor is always in outstanding condition. The weather shouldn’t have any effect on the way we play. As I said, we’ll stay true to our principles and play our own game."
Alexander Zorniger
"We have approached the week a little differently, including the preparation for our next opponent. We showed the the boys multiple alternatives in game style. We want our players to feel that they are part of the solution”
“In terms of personnel, Marco John is fit to player and Simon Asta is available after his yellow-red card suspension”
"It's a short week of training. We've tried to prepare for what's to come, but also for what we're going to use.”
"After Kaiserslautern, it was relatively clear to the coaching team that we wanted to change something, and we will do that this weekend.”
"Our job is to get the guys to the starting line, which empowers us to win games. And then we let them go at 1pm on Saturday”
Expected lineups
St. Pauli have been in such a great run of form it would be a surprise to any of us if coach Fabian Hürzeler was to make any changes to the starting XI.
That’s not to say St. Pauli doesn’t have options off the bench in case the boys in brown struggle to dismantle the Fürth defence. The likes of Maurides and David Otto will feature if St. Pauli needs more attacking flair.
Coming off the 1:1 in Hannover, Alexander Zorniger has called on the team's flexibility to break down St. Pauli. Marco John played a small role on Sunday, now back to full fitness he will definitely start ahead of Luca Itter at Left wing back. Ragnar Ache has led the line well, but the cast of options have failed to help generate more.
Lukas Petkov, who is currently on loan from Augsburg is believed to be in contention for a starting role on Saturday. Simon Asta is available as Zorniger mentioned in his pre-game press conference, but I expect Marco Meyerhöfer to keep his place in the starting lineup.
Prediction
St. Pauli’s fairytale run has been nothing more than extraordinary, and now safety is almost all but guaranteed. Without defeat at home this season, St. Pauli are favourites to keep this trend. Fürth on the other hand have improved, but ironing out the wrinkles has taken a little bit longer than coach Zorniger and co would’ve hoped for. In what should be an interesting tactical battle, I’m expecting St. Pauli to extend their winning run to 7.
I’m predicting a 2:1 win for St. Pauli.