Borussia Dortmund vs St. Pauli

Signal Iduna Park is the venue as Borussia Dortmund and St. Pauli go head-to-head in their first Bundesliga encounter since 2011.

October’s international break came at an opportune moment for new Borussia Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin, giving him a fortnight to regroup after a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin. That result left ‘Die Boruseen’ in dire seventh, making for their worst six-game Bundesliga start since 2014/15 (W3, D1, L2). However, most of Dortmund’s good deeds under Sahin came at Signal Iduna Park, where they’ve won all three league outings this season. They also hammered Celtic 7-1 in their highest UEFA Champions League win in history on this ground only days after overhauling a two-goal deficit in a 4-2 victory against Bochum. Another triumph is a virtual certainty, considering they’re up against a St Pauli side they’ve defeated in all but one of their six top-flight home league H2Hs since 1989 (D1).

On the other hand, visiting St. Pauli couldn’t take advantage of momentum after posting their first Bundesliga win since February 2011 in a 3-0 demolition of Freiburg, succumbing to a dismal 3-0 home defeat to Mainz last time out. It was their fourth loss in six league matches this season (W1, D1), as they entered the international break level on points with 16th-placed TSG Hoffenheim. A season-long fight against relegation looms over St. Pauli, who will take the field searching for their maiden victory at Signal Iduna Park (D3, L7). That could prove easier said than done for Alexander Blessin’s misfiring squad, given that they’ve drawn a blank in a league-high four games this season.