FC St. Pauli

Close encounters

Since 2000, games between Arminia Bielefeld and St. Pauli have been close-run affairs. Each side has won by more than one goal only once in that time. In total, there have been four victories for each team and six draws, plus a 4-3 win on penalties for the Boys in Brown in the DFB Cup.

Prolific pairing

It could be a tough evening at the back if last season is anything to go by. In Fabian Klos and Andreas Voglsammer, Bielefeld boast one of the best strike duos in the league. Together they accounted for 30 goals last season, with Klos slightly more successful with 17. That haul was bettered only by Cologne's formidable pairing of Simon Terodde and Jhon Cordoba, who bagged 49 goals in total.

Durable

If you were the Bielefeld coach, the aforementioned players would be first on your team sheet, of course. And the statistics back this up – Voglsammer featured in all 34 league games last term, while captain Klos missed out just once due to a thigh injury. That puts them firmly among the most used players at this level. Robin Himmelmann, Mats Møller Dæhli and Marvin Knoll made the most appearances for the Boys in Brown last season. In case you were wondering, Union Berlin's Marvin Friedrich was the only outfield player to feature in every game from start to finish.

Opening-day record

Both teams have got off to reasonable starts over the last five seasons. The Boys in Brown have taken eight points on the opening day in that time, the only defeat coming in the 2016/17 campaign at VfB Stuttgart, who went on to win promotion. They put that right in the next two years, wining both of their opening games. Bielefeld collected a point more in the same five-year period and managed to remain unbeaten. The two clubs have met in the season opener before, in 2015-16, a game that ended in a scoreless draw.

Photos: Witters