FC St. Pauli

One topic that has occupied head coach Timo Schultz and his men since the start of the campaign has been the number of goals they are conceding. Talking to the media in midweek, centre-back David Nemeth and Schultz both said it was an area of concern for the team. Nevertheless, the Boys in Brown intend to remain true to their style of play and continue to be bold and active, while seeking to reduce the number of opportunities available to the opposition to an absolute minimum.

Last season the Schultz XI did the double over Jahn. Regensburg came to the Millerntor having won their first four games but returned home empty-handed after a 2-0 defeat. The current campaign began in similar fashion, with Regensburg leading the table and knocking Bundesliga outfit FC Köln out of the DFB Cup in an early flurry that saw them go 353 minutes before conceding their first goal in the league in a 1-0 defeat against Hannover.

Since then, however, Regensburg the early surge has gone into reverse. Mersad Selimbegovic's side have now gone 540 minutes without scoring and are winless in six. In Benedikt Gimber and Steve Breitkreuz, they are also without two key players who add stability to the team.

On the other hand, Regensburg are blessed with St. Pauli expertise in their ranks. Director of sport Roger Stilz headed our youth academy for four-and-a-half years and was Timo Schultz's boss for a time. Dejan Stojanović played his part in an impressive upturn in form in the second half of the 2020/21 season, and Christian Viet signed professional terms with the Boys in Brown and only the left the club in pre-season.

In David Otto, who scored against us last year, and Carlo Boukhalfa, we also have two Regensburg players on our books. Otto, however, is ill and in danger of missing out on Sunday. Otherwise, the Boys in Brown have almost a full squad to choose from and head south feeling confident they can bag their first away win of the season.

Photo: Witters