St. Pauli vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview: Team News & Prediction
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After blowing a golden opportunity last weekend to close the gap on Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen can’t afford another slip up, this time against St. Pauli
Kick-off date/time: Sunday April 20th 2025: – UK – 6:30pm / US ET – 1:30pm / US PT – 10:30am
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports / US – Some matches will be televised on ESPN channels so it is worth checking their schedules
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / US – ESPN+
St. Pauli Preview: Priceless six-pointer
St. Pauli held their nerve in a crunch six-pointer away at rock bottom Holstein Kiel last time out to win 1-2, a victory which may well prove decisive come the end of the season if the 2. Bundesliga champions manage to stay in the top flight, an achievement which is now well within site.
That result backed up St. Pauli’s hard-fought 1-1 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach and despite them losing 3-2 to Bayern Munich, the battling nature of St. Pauli warrants huge credit as they scrap for survival.
Bayer Leverkusen Preview: Chance missed
Bayer Leverkusen knew that with Bayern Munich facing Borussia Dortmund, there was a big chance they could close the six-point-gap between themselves and the league leaders. However, Xabi Alonso’s side failed to take the opportunity as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Union Berlin at the BayArena.
The hosts enjoyed 75% of possession in that game and recorded 17 shots on goal. In the end though, they were shut out and after Bayern’s 2-2 draw vs Borussia Dortmund, the result was made all the more painful for Leverkusen.
St. Pauli Team News: Illness in camp
Illness could rule out two important St. Pauli players in Scott Banks and Noah Weisshaupt. Elias Saad is battling injury, which has already ruled out the likes of Jackson Irvine, James Sands and Simon Zoller.
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Vasilj; Nemeth, Wahl, Van der Heyden; Saliakas, Smith, Metcalfe, Treu; Afolayan, Guilavogui, Saad
Unavailable: Burchert (Injured), Irvine (Injured), Mets (Injured), Sands (Injured), Zoller (Injured)
Questionable: Banks (Illness), Eggestein (Injured), Saad (Injured), Weisshaupt (Illness)
Bayer Leverkusen Team News: Three remain out
The visitors are once again missing the trio of Belocian, Hermoso and Terrier through injury. However, Nathan Tella has been passed fit and should feature here whether it be from the bench or the starting XI.
Predicted XI (3-4-3): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Adli, Schick, Wirtz
Unavailable: Belocian (Injured), Hermoso (Injured), Terrier (Injured)
Questionable:
St. Pauli vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction
St. Pauli have shown bundles of fight recently and getting three points will be a huge challenge for Bayer Leverkusen. Expect the hosts to prove tough to break down and it would be no surprise to see Leverkusen endure the same struggles we saw from them against Union, lots of possession but little cutting edge. With that in mind, backing under 2.5 goals to be scored is well worth considering in this contest.
St. Pauli vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip: Under 2.5 goals