St. Pauli 2026/27 preview: transfers, pre-season, predicted XI and outlook | OneFootball

Relegated after a 6-8-20 campaign, St. Pauli hit reset under new head coach Marcel Rapp and aim to rebound in the 2. Bundesliga. Their 2024/25 survival has been followed by sweeping change at the Millerntor.

According to BuLi News, Alexander Blessin departed post-drop and captain Jackson Irvine made a late switch to Cerezo Osaka. Incoming are striker Branimir Hrgota on a free from Fürth and centre-back Marcus Mathisen, with Rapp arriving from Holstein Kiel.

Hrgota, Fürth’s record scorer across Germany’s top two tiers, logged 69 goals and 41 assists in 238 games and helped win promotion in 2020/21 with 16 goals and seven assists. Further exits include Nikola Vasilj to Al-Diriyah, Karol Mets to Bochum, Manolis Saliakas to Olympiacos for €1.3m, Hauke Wahl to Wolfsburg for €2m and Daniel Sinani to Sampdoria.

Pre-season brought a 6-2 win at Altona 93, 3-1 at Kickers Emden and 4-1 at Babelsberg, where Abdoulie Ceesay hit a first-half hat-trick. A 2-1 victory over Gorica featured Louis Oppie and Ricky-Jade Jones, though Ceesay suffered a right ankle capsule-ligament injury. A 4-1 loss to Bournemouth in Austria preceded a 2-2 Millerntor draw with Deportivo de A Coruña, St. Pauli twice leading through Taichi Hara and then Kaars before an 84th-minute equaliser.

Rapp will almost certainly retain a back three, with Eric Smith a doubt for Fürth and Tomoya Ando or Adam Dzwigala options. Likely shape is 3-4-2-1: Voll behind Nemeth, Mathisen and Ando, Pyrka, Rasmussen, Fujita and Oppie across midfield, Hrgota and Jones supporting Kaars. Lars Ritzka and Erik Ahlstrand offer cover.

The last relegation in 2010/11 preceded a 13-year wait to return, but this squad ranks second in value in the division behind Wolfsburg, who look title favourites. Hannover and Heidenheim should contest the automatic and play-off spots, and St. Pauli are tipped for at least the top six with a genuine top-three chance if the new pieces bed in quickly.

Source: BuLi News

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”