Paderborn – St Pauli

The opponents are in brilliant form and the winner will be decided in a thrilling encounter

One of the focal points of the 23rd round of the Second Bundesliga will be played between clubs still far from the top of the table. However, Paderborn and St. Pauli are now definitely among the most progressive teams in the division, who are climbing quite dynamically in the championship. Paderborn have "jumped" from the middle of the standings to fourth place in the short period of 2023, St. Pauli from the second half to the central positions. Perhaps these results are logical, since last season the Hamburg club finished in fifth place, while the hosts of the upcoming meeting are in seventh place. Bookmakers have identified Paderborn as the favourite to win Friday's encounter, offering odds of 2.27. Those odds look fair, because in addition to their excellent form, Lukas Kvasniok's side are also particularly strong on home soil. Paderborn have an average of virtually three goals per game: 31 goals in 11 games. After the resumption of the season, the team has played six official matches, losing only to Stuttgart in the German Cup. And the defeat was most offensive, as Paderborn led 1-0 up to the 86th minute of the meeting. In the five games of the 2nd Bundesliga winter campaign, the hosts of the upcoming fixture took 13 points from a possible 15. The only loss came last Saturday when Paderborn sealed a 1-1 draw with local club Holstein in Kiel. St. Pauli started the league at the same level as last season, picking up seven points in four rounds, but in the subsequent thirteen rounds held in 2022, the team won only the Hamburg derby. The very poor first-round statistics made St. Pauli one of the candidates for relegation. That said, the Hamburg side returned to the club football season at the end of January as one of the strongest clubs in the Second Bundesliga. In the five rounds played, St. Pauli scored five victories, conceding only one goal. Along with not the best teams in the division, the club's opponents were Hannover and Kaiserslautern. The upcoming match is likely to be a competitive one, and the rivals will tackle the challenges through attacking action.