Preview:St Pauli vs Hoffenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

The second round of the 2025–26 DFB Pokal throws up a fascinating contest between St Pauli and Hoffenheim at Millerntor-Stadion on Tuesday.

The hosts needed a penalty shootout to get past Regionalliga outfit Eintracht Norderstedt 3–2 in the previous round, while the visitors made light work of Hansa Rostock courtesy of a 4–0 win to advance to this stage.

Match preview

St Pauli's return to the German top flight has been torrid, and they will be looking to get some respite in the DFB Pokal.

After two victories in eight Bundesliga fixtures, they currently sit 14th in the standings, with seven points.

Going into this cup contest, Alexander Blessin and his men will have little confidence, as they have been struggling with a five-game losing streak.

Even more worrisome for the home side is that success in this competition has been hit-and-miss, as they have not gone beyond the quarter-finals, which they last managed in the 2023–24 season when they were eliminated by Fortuna Dusseldorf 6–5 on penalties.

They have also faced defensive issues, as they have not kept a clean sheet since their 2–0 victory over Hamburg on the road.

Since that triumph, they have been breached 12 times, while they have managed a paltry five strikes in that period.

Although the Neighbourhood Kickers were thrashed 3–0 the last time these two sides clashed in the league, they will take inspiration from their two wins and a draw in the last five head-to-head meetings.

Meanwhile, the visiting Hoffenheim have all the confidence they need going into their second DFB Pokal encounter of the season on Tuesday.

Coming off the back of two consecutive victories in the league, with at least three strikes recorded in each of those games, they are better-placed to advance to the next round.

However, they will be cautious ahead of this match, considering they were eliminated at the same stage last season, losing 3–0 to Wolfsburg.

Like their opponents, the Kraichgauers have struggled to make a mark in this competition; their last run past the second round came a decade ago.

St Pauli DFB-Pokal form:

St Pauli form (all competitions):

Hoffenheim DFB-Pokal form:

Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

Team News

Although recent results have not been going the way of the hosts, they have better luck in terms of injuries.

Aside from forward Ricky-Jade Jones, who has missed nine matches this season due to a shoulder injury, and David Nemeth, who has sat out eight fixtures as a result of a muscular issue, the rest of the squad are available for this clash.

The situation is not the same for the visiting side, as they have several players on the treatment table.

Forward Adam Hlozek is currently recuperating from a wrist fracture and will watch proceedings from the sidelines.

Valentin Gendrey is another of the many Hoffenheim players who will not be considered for selection, as he is stricken with a broken ankle.

Others expected to miss out on this contest include Koki Machida (cruciate ligament tear), Kelvin Frees (broken ankle) and Hennes Behrens (torn muscle fibre).

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Smith, Wahl, Mets; Oppie, Fujita, Saliakas, Sinani; Pereira Lage; Hountondji, Kaars

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Bernardo, Hajdari, Hranac, Coufal; Avdullahu, Asllani, Burger, Kramaric, Toure; Lemperle

We say: St Pauli 0-2 Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim are certainly in better form than the hosts, who are experiencing all sorts of problems at the moment. With their newly-found attacking capabilities, we are backing the visitors to claim a comfortable 2–0 win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.