FC St. Pauli

Off the mark at last

The Red Devils picked up their first win of the season last time out. After a run of eight games without a victory and just two points, Kaiserslautern made it ninth time lucky with a 3-0 defeat of Greuther Fürth. An impressive all-round performance saw them find the net again after drawing a blank in their previous three games.

Meier makes way for Strasser

Two points from the first seven matches left Kaiserslautern bottom of the table and ultimately cost coach Norbert Meier his job. Manfred Paula, head of the youth section, took temporary charge on matchday 8 before Jeff Strasser assumed control. The Luxembourger played for the club between 1999 to 2002 and had been working in his home country as head coach of first-division outfit CS Fola Esch, where he collected an average of 2.13 points a game in 166 games.

Andersson on target

Swedish striker Sebastian Andersson has scored all of Kaiserslautern's last four goals. In his previous five appearances he has averaged a goal every 111 minutes. The 26-year-old joined the club from Swedish first-division side IFK Norrköping just before the end of the transfer period. His four goals represent two thirds of Kaiserslautern's tally so far. Captain Daniel Halfar and Gervane Kastaneer have contributed one goal each.

Kaiserslautern kids

With an average age of just 22.9 Kaiserslautern are by far the youngest side in the league. Right-back Benjamin Kessel, 30, is the oldest player in the squad. In comparison, VfL Bochum are the second-youngest team with an average age of 24.1, while the Boys in Brown are aged 25.2 on average. Other youngsters to feature in the team besides Joel Abu Hanna, 19, are Torben Müssel (18), Gino Fechner (20), Gervane Kastaneer (21) and Manfred Osei Kwadwo (22).

Head to head

Kaiserslautern have an excellent record against St. Pauli, winning 18 of the previous 32 meetings as against 9 victories for the Boys in Brown. Five matches ended all square. The Red Devils have to go back some way for their last win, however, a 3-1 success at the Millerntor on 30 November 2014. Marcel Halstenberg, who now runs out for Leipzig in the Bundesliga, got the St. Pauli goal that day.

Key matches

The Boys in Brown have fond memories of Kaiserslautern from last season. A scoreless draw at the Millerntor in the first half of the season marked the start of a return to form for the Boys after a run of seven defeats in eight games. And on the penultimate day of the season a 2-1 win at the Betzenberg secured second-division safety for Ewald Lienen's men.

Photo: DFL