This weekend sees the start of a new German Bundesliga 2 season and features this upcoming clash between St Pauli and Nurnberg when the two teams meet at the Millerntor-Stadion on Saturday lunchtime with St Pauli looking to go a step better this time around.
St Pauli had seemingly looked to be on course for at least a promotion play-off spot if not automatic promotion towards the latter stages of last season as they had secured important wins against Ingolstadt, Karlsruher and Heidenheim along with gaining a point in a draw away at Dynamo Dresden but then the wheels dramatically fell off their promotion push.
A few snaps from the final session of the Passeier Valley training camp this morning.#fcsp #fcspasseiertal pic.twitter.com/PzOOkgozJF— FC St. Pauli English (@fcstpauli_EN) July 10, 2022
A few snaps from the final session of the Passeier Valley training camp this morning.#fcsp #fcspasseiertal pic.twitter.com/PzOOkgozJF
The hosts picked up just one further win in their subsequent seven matches in the season run-in which came on the last day of the season with a 2-0 home win against Fortuna Dusseldorf.
But it was a case of too little too late for St Pauli who had also slipped to defeats against Hansa Rostock, Darmstadt and Schalke, while three draws in their other games simply weren’t enough and they fell short.
Nurnberg finished three league positions and six points below their upcoming hosts, St Pauli, in 8th place as they too saw their possible claims for a top three finish dwindle in dramatic fashion, losing three out of their final five matches of the German second tier campaign.
Indeed, Nurnberg suffered a similar fate to that of St Pauli as the visitors registered just one win from their final eight games of last season which was a 3-1 home win against Darmstadt.
But subsequent draws with Werder Bremen and St Pauli along with losses to Sandhausen, Holsten Kiel and Schalke dashed any hopes they had of making a late surge for the play-offs.
Results away from home also suffered after Nurnberg had picked up an impressive four wins in their preceding five games with victories over Erzgebirge Aue, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Hansa Rostock and Hannover, as the visitors slumped to four games without a win on the road in subsequent weeks.
Although they picked up points at Werder Bremen and St Pauli, losses at Heidenheim and Holsten Kiel only served to confirm another season in the German second tier for Nurnberg.
St Pauli were solid at home last season losing just twice and they are unbeaten in the previous 10 meetings against Nurnberg so the hosts look the more likely for an opening win of the season here.