David Flower
Dailysports's expert
St. Pauli
Bayer Leverkusen
One of the matches of the 30th round of the German championship will be played on Sunday at the "Millerntor" arena, where local St. Pauli will host Bayer Leverkusen. I suggest a bet on the outcome of this confrontation with good odds.
- Also read: Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach prediction, H2H and probable lineups - April 20, 2025
Match Preview
St. Pauli finally pleased their fans with an away victory over Holstein Kiel (2:1) in the last round, which was only the second success for Alexander Blessin's team in the last ten Bundesliga rounds. Before that, the Hamburg team seriously struggled, gaining only nine points (3 draws, 5 losses) over this period. Nevertheless, after a prolonged drought when the team couldn't score for four consecutive rounds, St. Pauli has found the net in five matches in a row.
Despite this, goal-scoring remains their Achilles' heel — with 25 goals, the club is at the bottom of the table in terms of goals scored. In the league standings, the "pirates" managed to slightly pull away from the danger zone — 15th place and a seven-point cushion from the relegation playoff spots. But on their home ground, things are not going so well: St. Pauli has won only twice in the last eight matches, the rest being draws and losses.
Bayer stumbled in the match against Union Berlin, settling for a goalless draw and thus interrupting their winning streak in the Bundesliga, which lasted three rounds. This draw was already the eighth match of the season in which Leverkusen kept a clean sheet, and only the fifth time they failed to score — a mark of stability worthy of an elite team. Xabi Alonso's men continue to rank among the leaders in attacking power: 63 goals for the season — second only to the incredibly prolific Bayern (83).
In the league standings, the "pharmacists" confidently hold second position, trailing Munich by 6 points and keeping their title hopes alive. Particularly impressive is the team's away form: Leverkusen has taken maximum points from 7 of the last 9 away matches, drawing the other two — a solid record for a championship contender.
Probable Lineups
- St. Pauli: Nikola Vasilj – Lars Ritzka, Hauke Wahl, David Nemeth, Manolis Saliakas – Adam Dzwigala, Jackson Irvine, Eric Smith – Oladapo Afolayan, Danel Sinani, Elias Saad
- Bayer: Lukas Hradecky – Piero Hincapie, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba – Nathan Tella, Granit Xhaka, Aleix Garcia, Alejandro Grimaldo – Exequiel Palacios, Patrik Schick
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- In the first round, Bayer defeated the opponent 2:1
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet won in 4 out of the last 5 encounters
- The "Over 2.5 Goals" bet came through in the last three matches between these opponents
Prediction
Bookmakers believe in the success of the "pharmacists" and offer odds of 1.73 for a Bayer victory. We think Bayer will once again defeat St. Pauli, and our bet here is "Bayer to Win".
