FC St. Pauli

Rapid ascent

After a 38-year absence from the second tier of the German league pyramid, Kickers Würzburg worked their up from the sixth-tier Landesliga to Bundesliga 2 in just five years, a feat previously achieved only by Leipzig. The reverse fixture in the first half of the season is the sole meeting between the two sides. That's because in the 1977/78 campaign, when Würzburg made their debut appearance in the second division, the Boys in Brown were in the top flight and then both teams were relegated at the end of the season. The game at the Dallenberg in November 2016 ended in a 1-0 win for the Kickers.

A season of two halves

The newly promoted outfit got off to a great start and sprang several surprises, among them a 3-0 home win over VfB Stuttgart. A fabulous first half to the campaign ended with Würzburg in sixth place on 27 points. Since then, however, the Lower Franconians have struggled to build on their tally, winning none of their 11 games this year and collecting just five points. That negative run has seen Würzburg drop to 12^th in the table, only three points ahead of the Boys in Brown, who could pass them if they win by two goals or more.

Reunion with Hollerbach

A former St. Pauli player returns to the Millerntor on Sunday in Bernd Hollerbach, who wore the brown-and-white shirt from 1991 to 1995. In 2004 he hung up his boots to begin a coaching career. Hollerbach took charge of Kickers Würzburg in the fourth-tier Regionalliga in the summer of 2014 and won back-to-back promotions. The successful first half of the season pales into insignificance when compared with the table for the second half, however, in which FWK occupy last place. One bright spot for the visitors is the return of central midfielder Rico Benatelli from suspension. In contrast, the Boys in Brown will be without holding midfielder Bernd Nehrig, who collected his tenth booking of the season against Nürnberg.

Effective finishers

No other team has gone for goal less often than Würzburg this term. The stats show 287 attempts, of which 82 were on target. That figure may not be very high, but the 28 goals scored thus far are an indication of their effectiveness in front of goal. Hollerbach's side post the greatest threat down the right-hand side, from where they have hit 133 crosses and scored 15 of those 28 goals. By comparison, St. Pauli have registered 362 attempts on goal, of which 100 were on target and 26 hit the back of the net.

Benatelli and Soriano the men to watch

Würzburg are good travellers. They have found the net more often away (15) than at home (13) at any rate. The internal scoring charts are led by centre-forward Elia Soriano and midfielder Rico Benatelli, with five goals each. Soriano is also Würzburg's busiest player. No one has drawn more fouls in the league so far (100), and he is not shy himself when it comes to the challenge. Soriano has won almost 46 per cent of his duels, and there have been plenty of them - 748 in total – the third highest number in the second division. Their best provider of assists is Nejmeddin Daghfous, who has made seven goals and scored two himself. 

'Veteran' Wulnikowski

Würzburg have the league's oldest player in their ranks. At 39 years of age, first-choice goalkeeper Robert Wulnikowski is like a good wine – the older, the better. Wulnikowski joined the club for the 2014/15 season and was the promotion hero for the Red Shorts with his penalty shootout saves in the Regionalliga play-offs. The Polish-born stopper has been a key player this season, too, having kept nine clean sheets in 25 matches. Hollerbach will be without his keeper on Sunday, however, after Wulnikowski tore a cruciate ligament in the game at 1860 Munich.

Photo: Peter Böhmer