**St. Pauli's looking sharp while Gladbach are limping through pre-season** — this friendly could tell us plenty about where both sides really stand before the serious stuff kicks off. 🏟️

St. Pauli have found a decent rhythm with a win and two draws in their last three, while Gladbach are spiraling (1W, 4L in five). That's a **form gap worth noting**, even if it's just a friendly. Missing Leopold, Castrop, and Kühn won't help Gladbach's injury blues either.

Key storylines:

- **St. Pauli's defensive shape** (B. Voll backing a three-man line with D. Nemeth anchoring) faces a Gladbach attack that's misfiring badly
- **E. Smith and M. Rasmussen** need to control the midfield tempo for St. Pauli; if they do, Gladbach's injury-hit setup looks vulnerable
- Gladbach's **J. Scally and K. Diks** tasked with a thankless afternoon against St. Pauli's wing energy

Expected lineups:

- **FC St. Pauli**: B. Voll, L. Oppie, D. Nemeth, A. Pyrka, E. Smith, M. Rasmussen, J. C. Fujita, B. Hrgota, T. Hara
- **Borussia M'gladbach**: M. Nicolas, L. Ullrich, K. Diks, J. Scally, P. Sander, H. Bolin, K. Stöger, F. Honorat, I. Lidberg

Prediction:

**St. Pauli 2–1 Borussia M'gladbach**

St. Pauli's momentum and Gladbach's rocky form give the hosts a clear edge.