If you were sitting in the Millerntor-Stadion this past October, you probably felt that weird, electric hum that only comes when two teams with absolutely nothing in common collide. On one side, you have FC St. Pauli—the cult heroes of Hamburg, the club of the people, the "Kiezkicker." On the other, TSG Hoffenheim, the village club that climbed the ranks through the vision (and wallet) of Dietmar Hopp.
The FC St. Pauli vs Hoffenheim rivalry isn't some century-old blood feud. Honestly, it’s more of a clash of cultures. One team plays in the shadow of the Reeperbahn; the other represents a tiny settlement in the Kraichgau. But when they stepped onto the pitch on October 19, 2025, none of that mattered. What followed was a 3-0 masterclass by Hoffenheim that left the home fans stunned and the league scratching its head.
The October Shocker at Millerntor
Nobody really expected a blowout. Usually, St. Pauli turns their home ground into a fortress of noise and smoke where even the biggest Bundesliga giants struggle to breathe. Not this time. Christian Ilzer brought a Hoffenheim side to Hamburg that looked, frankly, terrifyingly efficient.
The first half was a bit of a stalemate. St. Pauli sat deep, waiting for that one counter-attack that never quite came. Martijn Kaars had a glimpse of goal in the 41st minute, but Oliver Baumann—the man who seems to have been playing in the Bundesliga since the dawn of time—made a stop that felt like a punch to the gut for the home supporters.
Then the second half happened.
Bazoumana Touré. Remember that name. The 19-year-old was basically a ghost in the first half, but in the 54th minute, he ghosted behind the Pauli defense and slotted home his first-ever Bundesliga goal. It was clinical. It was cold. And it was just the beginning.
Kramarić and the Art of the Assist
If Touré provided the spark, Andrej Kramarić provided the fuel. Just five minutes after the opener, Kramarić decided he wanted a piece of the action himself. After a brilliant one-two between Vladimír Coufal and Tim Lemperle, the ball found Kramarić about eleven meters out. He doesn't miss those.
By the time Grischa Prömel added the third in the 79th minute, the air had completely left the stadium. It was a 3-0 win for TSG, and it pushed them up to 8th in the table while St. Pauli stayed mired in a relegation scrap.
What’s crazy is that Kramarić has now scored against 27 different Bundesliga clubs. That’s a stat that feels like a typo, but it’s real. He’s essentially a walking cheat code for Hoffenheim at this point.
The Relegation Dogfight: FC St. Pauli vs Hoffenheim
When people talk about the FC St. Pauli vs Hoffenheim fixture, they usually focus on the contrast in club structures. But in the 2024/25 season, the narrative was much simpler: survival.
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Back in March 2025, the two met in a match that felt like a six-pointer in the truest sense. At that point, both teams were flirting with the drop zone. St. Pauli managed to scrape a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Noah Weißhaupt. That victory was a "gift" from Oliver Baumann, who played a horror pass that led directly to the goal.
It’s these swings that make this matchup so unpredictable. One week, Hoffenheim is a European contender; the next, they’re gifting goals to a promoted side. St. Pauli, meanwhile, lives and dies by their intensity. When they can’t outrun the opposition, they tend to suffer.
The DFB-Pokal Madness
If the league matches weren't enough, we had the DFB-Pokal second-round clash on October 28, 2025. This was absolute chaos. It ended 2-2 after 120 minutes of football that probably aged both managers by a decade.
- Hauke Wahl scores in the 1st minute. (Absolute scenes).
- Hoffenheim claws back, and Kramarić converts a penalty in the 107th minute.
- Mathias Pereira Lage equalizes for St. Pauli in the 120+2 minute.
Then came the penalties. St. Pauli eventually won 8-7 in a shootout that felt like it would never end. It’s those moments that define why fans love the Kiezkicker—the refusal to go quietly into the night, even when a "superior" squad on paper is dominating them.
Tactics: Why St. Pauli Struggles Against the TSG Press
St. Pauli’s manager, Alexander Blessin, likes a high-energy, vertical game. He wants his wing-backs, Saliakas and Treu, to push high and create overloads. But against Hoffenheim’s 4-4-2 or 4-3-1-2 setups, they often find themselves caught out.
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Hoffenheim’s midfield, usually anchored by Wouter Burger and Leon Avdullahu, is incredibly disciplined. They don't just sit; they hunt. In that 3-0 win, they forced St. Pauli into 17 turnovers in their own half. You can't survive that at this level. St. Pauli had more corners (9 to 7) and nearly equal possession, but they did absolutely nothing with it.
The shots on target stat tells the real story: 2 for St. Pauli, 5 for Hoffenheim.
Looking Ahead to February 2026
The next time these two face off is February 28, 2026, at the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim. Hoffenheim will be the heavy favorites, especially with their current form holding them near the top six. St. Pauli is currently sitting in 17th, and the walls are closing in.
For the Hamburg side to get anything out of that trip, they have to solve the Kramarić problem. He’s the engine. If you stop him, you stop the supply to Touré and Berisha. But easier said than done, right?
Actionable Insights for the Next Matchup
If you're watching or even looking at the odds for the February clash, keep these factors in mind:
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- The "Early Goal" Trend: In three of their last four meetings, St. Pauli has scored first. They start fast, but they don't always finish well.
- Home/Away Disparity: Hoffenheim is significantly more comfortable at home, but St. Pauli’s away support is legendary and often makes neutral venues feel like a home game.
- Injury Returns: Keep an eye on Ozan Kabak. His return to the Hoffenheim defense has stabilized a backline that was leaking goals earlier in the season.
- Discipline: These games get chippy. We saw five yellow cards in the Pokal match and three in the last league meeting. Expect a lot of tactical fouls in the midfield transition.
The gap in the standings might suggest a blowout, but history shows that FC St. Pauli vs Hoffenheim is rarely that simple. Whether it's a 120-minute cup thriller or a clinical league dismantling, these two clubs represent the beautiful, messy spectrum of German football.
To prepare for the next encounter, fans should watch the replay of the October league match to see how Hoffenheim exploited the space behind St. Pauli’s wing-backs. For St. Pauli, the focus must be on ball retention in the middle third, as their 75% pass completion rate in the last game was effectively a death sentence. Monitoring the fitness of Jackson Irvine will be crucial, as he remains the heartbeat of the St. Pauli midfield and their best hope for neutralising Hoffenheim's creative stars.