FC St. Pauli

From bogey team to can we play you every week

It is not too long since the Boys in Brown were on the wrong end of results against Kaiserslautern. They lost both fixtures in the 2013-14 campaign, for example, and FCK ran out winners again in the first encounter of the following season at the Millerntor. St. Pauli won the return at the Betzenberg, however, securing three vital points in the battle against relegation. Buoyed by this success, Ewald Lienen's side did the double over the Red Devils last season. Kaiserslautern still have the better head-to-head record in Bundesliga 2, however, with eight wins to our six. There has never been a draw between the two teams.

Tight ship

With 14 matches gone, Kaiserslautern boast the league's second best defensive record. Goalkeepers André Weis and Jan Pollersbeck have conceded just 13 times so far, a total bettered only by FC Heidenheim with ten. FCK have been even more difficult to breach since the 22-year-old Pollersbeck took over following a red card for his rival Weis. In his ten starts Lautern have conceded only six goals.

Upward trend

For a while it looked as if FCK were going to be in for just as tough as season the Boys in Brown. The Red Devils had to wait until matchday six to register their first victory, and with nine games gone they languished in 16^th place in the table with just six points. Since then, however, Tayfun Korkut's side have turned things round and have not lost again. Three wins and two draws put them in the top three of the current form table and have seen them climb to 12^th place overall.

Goal shy

Despite the upturn in fortunes there is still some work to do, however. The Red Devils have yet to fire on all cylinders in attack, for example. With ten goals scored they share the second worst goals-for tally in the league with Karlsruhe (we prefer to draw a veil of silence over which team has the worst attacking record). Further evidence is provided by the number of shots on goal, which at 45 is not much higher than the totals recorded by the Boys in Brown and the minimalists from Würzburg.

Last tango in Paris?

Kaiserslautern's leading scorer, Osayamen Osawe, provided for one of the season's most entertaining anecdotes so far. After signing off sick from his club he then furnished evidence of his not so ailing health in the form of a selfie taken at a party in Paris. Following an internal suspension the Anglo-Nigerian striker returned to the side against VfL Bochum and won the game virtually on his own with a hat-trick. And when he scored the only goal of the game against Fürth a week later, his rehabilitation was complete.

Photo: Witters