Form and prestige on the line at the Millerntor

Opposition scouting report

Pauli’s upturn in form has been driven on by some shrewd additions in the January transfer window and the return of talismanic striker Guido Burgstaller. The Austrian was heralded as one of the signings of the summer transfer window on a free from Schalke, but was only able to play two games before suffering from acute kidney problems. The 31-year-old needed one game to get back into his stride, since then hitting the net eight times in seven consecutive games, unsurprisingly a club record in the division. The game against Darmstadt was a prime example of his skillset, poaching one within the six-yard box, followed by an exquisite control and finish with the weaker left foot for his second of the game. Yet the Austrian’s goalscoring is not the only quality he brings, able to hold the ball up well and bring his teammates into the game, something that was sorely lacking for Pauli before Christmas. 

Winter additions ‘keeper Dejan Stojanovic and winger Omar Marmoush have also added quality in the Millerntor ranks, long-time goalkeeper Robin Himmelmann going through an unexpected rough patch of form during the Hinrunde. Marmoush, on loan from Wolfsburg, has added a different dimension to the Pauli attack with pace and a wicked right foot, and reduced the attacking burden on Daniel Kofi-Kyereh. The one positive for the Rothosen is the defensive fragility of their hosts, who despite their good run of form have still been shipping goals, only the current bottom three having conceded more than their 40 goals. Particularly the pace and directness of Bakery Jatta and Sonny Kittel could prove a problem for the Pauli wing-backs, who are a bit exposed in Schultz’s diamond 4-1-2-1-2 formation.