Kiezkicker with a new look

A look at the opponents, the numbers and the history ahead of the away game at St. Pauli.

It is just under four months since VfL Wolfsburg and FC St. Pauli faced each other at the Millerntor in a genuine relegation showdown. Now they meet again – albeit one division lower. When the Wolves take on the Kiezkicker on Saturday evening (kick-off 20:30 CEST), it will be a meeting between two clubs who were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga in the summer and have undergone plenty of changes since then.

Farewell to the top flight

16 May 2026 remains fresh in the memory for both clubs. On the final day of the Bundesliga season, VfL won 3-1 away to FC St. Pauli to secure a place in the relegation play-offs. Konstantinos Koulierakis and Dzenan Pejcinovic, along with an own goal from St. Pauli's then goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, sealed the win for Wolfsburg. For the hosts, the defeat meant automatic relegation. However, the Green-and-Whites were also unable to preserve their top-flight status, going down after losing their relegation play-off against Paderborn.

Major overhaul at the Millerntor

Relegation left a clear mark on FC St. Pauli's squad. Several key performers and senior figures left the club. First-choice goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj moved to Saudi Arabia, Danel Sinani joined Sampdoria Genua, Karol Mets moved to VfL Bochum and Manolis Saliakas to Olympiakos. Captain Jackson Irvine also departed shortly before the start of the season to join Cerezo Osaka.
One familiar face can now be found on the other side: centre-back Hauke Wahl moved from St. Pauli to VfL in the summer. The Kiezkicker responded by bringing in seven new signings from other clubs. One of the most prominent is Branimir Hrgota. The 33-year-old Swede brings a wealth of experience and is expected to strengthen the attack in particular. He spent seven years at Greuther Fürth, six of them as captain. In total, Hrgota made 242 appearances for the Kleeblatt, scoring 70 goals and providing 41 assists. Before that, he played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt, among others. An experienced campaigner whose qualities the Hamburg club are counting on as they make a fresh start.

Rapp takes charge

There has been a change not only on the pitch but also on the touchline. Marcel Rapp has been head coach since this summer. The 47-year-old succeeded Alexander Blessin and has been tasked with shaping a new team at the Millerntor. Rapp also brings experience of the second tier and winning promotion. He spent four and a half years at Holstein Kiel, leading the Störche into the Bundesliga for the first time in 2024. Prior to that, he had worked for many years in TSG Hoffenheim's youth set-up.
A demanding task now awaits him in Hamburg: Rapp's job is to stabilise the newly assembled team as quickly as possible.

Still waiting for a first win

However, the start to the new season has been a bumpy one so far. They opened with a 1-1 draw against Greuther Fürth, followed by a 2-2 draw away at Holstein Kiel. A 2-1 home defeat to 1. FC Kaiserslautern followed, before St. Pauli most recently drew 2-2 again at Arminia Bielefeld. Three points from four games leave them 16th in the table ahead of the meeting with the Wolves.
They also suffered an early exit from the DFB Cup, with the Hamburg side losing 2-0 away to third-tier Rot-Weiss Essen. That extends a barren run which began during last season's Bundesliga campaign. St. Pauli have now gone 15 competitive matches without a win, with their last victory coming in February.

Further facts and figures:

It is the first meeting between VfL and St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga since February 1995, when the two sides drew 1-1 in Wolfsburg. The Green-and-Whites have lost just one of their last eleven competitive matches against the Hamburg side (W3, D7), a 3-1 away defeat in the Bundesliga in January 2002.
This is the first meeting between two relegated sides in this season's 2. Bundesliga. St. Pauli have won five of their last six second-tier matches against teams relegated from the Bundesliga (L1) and have most recently recorded four consecutive home wins in such fixtures.
Only twice before, in 1999/2000 and 1994/1995, have St. Pauli begun a season in the single-division 2. Bundesliga with four winless games, and on both occasions the Kiezkicker also failed to win their fifth match. In this century, the Hamburg side would become only the fifth team relegated from the Bundesliga to start with five games without a win.