St Pauli – RB Leipzig

In Hamburg, the home team will not be able to challenge their more skilled opponents

St Pauli are playing their first season in the Bundesliga in a long time. Last season, the Hamburg club finished in first place in Germany's second division, one point ahead of Holstein Kiel. Familiarity with the country's elite league was hard for the team, as evidenced by the current place in the relegation zone. However, the whole season is still ahead of them, so it's not too late to take a head start. At the same time, the upcoming opponent will be the most difficult for St. Pauli of those with whom they have already played in the Bundesliga. Last year, Leipzig were left without a single title on the national stage. The Bulls failed to win the German Cup for the first time in three seasons, and finished only fourth in the league. Bookmakers have identified the visitors as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.63 on their victory. St Pauli in the off-season made a bet on preserving the core of the team, which ensured the club's promotion to the elite division. Alexander Blessin's biggest spend was the 600,000 euros given for Fin Stevens from Brentford. By the way, the most important loss in recent months for St Pauli was the head coach, who moved to the more prosperous and ambitious Brighton. The personnel potential of the Second Bundesliga team in the main league of the country still looks insufficient. St Pauli has suffered three defeats in three rounds, scoring just one goal. Leipzig lost Dani Olmo to Barcelona for 55 million euros in the off-season. In return, the Bulls worked the transfer market in German style, signing four players for a total of 44 million euros. Talented players, but of a quality that has yet to develop. Leipzig defeated Essen 4-1 in the cup game, before beating Bochum 1-0 at home in a tough match. The real triumph for the Bulls was the trip to Leverkusen, where they defeated the reigning champions in a willful style. In midweek, Leipzig scored a quick goal in Madrid against Atletico, but lost to their opponents in a hard-fought game - 1:2. The defeat motivates the guests for maximum dedication in the upcoming meeting. The class of Leipzig players is much higher than those guys from the Second Bundesliga, who are trying to "drag" the team in the elite German league.