The DFB Pokal has reached the last-16 stage, and one of the more intriguing games in the round of fixtures sees Bundesliga.2 teams St. Pauli and Fortuna Dusseldorf clash for the second time in four days at the Millerntor-Stadion on Tuesday night.
St. Pauli is in excellent formWhen the two teams met in a crucial league game at the weekend, St. Pauli recorded a 2-1 victory. The result means the home team is now unbeaten in 22 games in all competitions this season.
Back-to-back wins in the German second tier have also seen Fabian Hurzeler’s team move four points clear at the top of the table and nine points clear of their fifth-place opponents in the fight for promotion.
St. Pauli has also been difficult to beat in the DFB Pokal, as they are unbeaten in their previous five matches over 90 minutes.
Their recent games in the competition have been high-scoring, too, with over 2.5 goals scored in 12 of their last 14 cup matches.
Fortuna looking to bounce back from defeatThe home defeat against Tuesday night’s opponents continued an unconvincing recent run of results for Fortuna, as they have now won just once in four competitive games.
Daniel Thioune’s team must return to form before they fall out of the race for automatic promotion.
Like their opponents, Dusseldorf’s recent record in the DFB Pokal is a solid one, as they are unbeaten in six games over 90 minutes.
Their recent outings in the DFB Pokal have been high-scoring affairs, with over 2.5 goals in eight of their previous nine matches.
The fact that the visitors have scored at least two goals in five of their last six cup games has been a significant factor in the high-scoring matches.
What am I backing?The recent meeting between the pair was a close one. I expect goals from this game, as both teams have been involved in high-scoring encounters of late. With that in mind, the bet I am backing is over 2.5 goals scored.
