RBL aiming to get the job done against FC St. Pauli | OneFootball

On Saturday afternoon at the Red Bull Arena, it’s time to get the job done. RB Leipzig will be looking to take their next chance to seal Champions League football when they host FC St. Pauli.

A win over the Kiezkicker would make the Red Bulls’ eighth Champions League campaign certain. It would also secure third place in the table for RBL.

Willi Orban said it best after the defeat in Leverkusen: “We’re desperate to win in front of our fans and produce a much better performance with everything we’ve got. I’m optimistic we can take all three points.”

1. Unfinished business from the reverse fixture

Although nobody was to blame, the reverse fixture felt cursed from the start. The game at the Millerntor, scheduled for 10th January, first had to be postponed “because of persistent heavy snowfall, ice and storms”. Then the pitch had another say when the rearranged match was played at the end of January.

Captain David Raum slipped on the wet, heavy turf in the 92nd minute, both legs going from under him, and brought down St. Pauli striker Martijn Kaars in the box. Kaars took the penalty himself and scored to make it 1-1.

Yan Diomande had earlier put RBL ahead with a superb finish from 18 yards. The forecast for this Saturday, at least, looks kinder to Leipzig, with around 20 degrees and sunshine expected!

2. "Keep them out for as long as possible"

That does not mean there will be no setbacks to deal with in the return fixture. St. Pauli have their backs to the wall after last weekend, with their own defeat to Mainz (2-1) and Wolfsburg’s draw in Freiburg (1-1) seeing them slip to 17th. The Hamburg club are now without a win in eight games (D3, L5).

“If we can bring the energy from the final 20 or 30 minutes onto the pitch, we’re tough to play against. We need to manage that over 90 minutes,” St. Pauli centre-back Hauke Wahl warned. St. Pauli fell behind against the 05ers after conceding two soft goals, before Abdoulie Ceesay’s late strike gave them hope in the closing stages.

Head coach Alexander Blessin, who previously coached in RBL’s youth setup, wants his side to rediscover their defensive stability: “What we need to take into the next two games is that we have to stop giving up goals too easily and keep our opponents out for as long as possible.”

3. Time to improve the head-to-head record

The Boys in Brown have proved a tough nut to crack in five of the eight competitive meetings so far. At home, however, we have won three of our four meetings with them (4-1, 4-2, 2-0).

But a word of warning: alongside the 1-1 draw in January and a 0-0 in September 2024, we have also been beaten by St. Pauli three times – all in the 2. Bundesliga and all by a 1-0 scoreline.

The head-to-head record therefore stands level at three wins, three draws and three defeats. This weekend is a good chance to improve on it!

4. Seal a Champions League spot at home

Above all, Champions League qualification remains the main target. With three points at home, the UCL anthem would return to the Red Bull Arena next season. RB Leipzig would also finish in the top three for the sixth time in their tenth Bundesliga campaign.

“Against St. Pauli, I expect we’ll have a full house, and then I’m convinced we’ll get it done,” Christoph Baumgartner stressed.

The Red Bulls are unbeaten in six home games (W4, D2). Matches against Augsburg and Gladbach in particular showed that we can stay patient, keep pushing and force wins when we need to. FC St. Pauli need to feel that same mentality too.

5. Extra support on the way

As well as our fantastic fans, around a dozen former RBL players and staff will also be cheering us on. The day before the St. Pauli game marks ten years since our promotion to the Bundesliga. Former coaches Ralf Rangnick and Achim Beierlorzer will be in attendance, along with several ex-players, including Marcel Halstenberg and Stefan Ilsanker.

Everything is in place for a successful and emotional Saturday – and hopefully there will be two reasons to celebrate.

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