City derby between HSV and St. Pauli: The fight for Hamburg's crown!

City derby between HSV and St. Pauli: The fight for Hamburg's crown!

Hamburg football will be turned upside down on August 29, 2025, because the fight for city football supremacy between Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli is just around the corner! The first Bundesliga city derby in over 14 years will kick off at 8:30 p.m. in the sold-out Volksparkstadion. The memory of the last meeting in the top German league, which took place on February 16, 2011 and was won 1-0 by St. Pauli, is still fresh for many fans. This time, however, the signs are different, because HSV has big plans after being promoted from the 2nd league. NDR reports that ...

Hamburger SV finished last season with a strong second place in the 2nd Bundesliga and thus made it back to the Bundesliga. The start of the season was rather modest with a 0-0 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, but in the DFB Cup they secured a win after extra time against Pirmasens. Coach Merlin Polzin, who is making his debut as head coach in the city derby this year, emphasizes the importance of this game for the team and fans. Given St. Pauli's draw against Borussia Dortmund, Hamburg have respect for their city rivals. Yahoo Sports adds that...

Lineups and special features

The most recent meetings between these two clubs show that HSV is undefeated in its last three home games against St. Pauli and is aiming for four such successes in a row - a feat that was last achieved between 1991 and 2001. The expected lineups promise an exciting duel:

• Hamburger SV: Heuer Fernandes – Omari, Elfadli, Torunarigha – Gocholeishvili, Capaldo, Remberg, Muheim – Sahiti, Königsdörffer, Dompé
• FC St. Pauli: Vasilj – Wahl, Smith, Dzwigala – Pyrka, Sands, Fujita, Oppie – Sinani – Hountondji, Pereira

The fans of both sides are also mobilized: HSV supporters will meet at 3 p.m. at Platz der Republik in Altona, while the St. Pauli Ultras are planning a “fan trip” from the Millerntorstadion to the Volksparkstadion from 4:15 p.m.

A high-risk game with lots of emotions

The police have classified the game as a high-risk game, which entails an increased security presence. Nevertheless, both coaches, Merlin Polzin and Alexander Blessin, appeal to the fans to promote a peaceful game and to show respect for each other despite all the rivalry. Blessin, who is also contesting his first city derby as St. Pauli coach, emphasizes how important it is to write your own history.

Both teams started the new Bundesliga season with a draw: St. Pauli played 3-3 against Borussia Dortmund, while HSV couldn't score any goals in the 0-0 draw against Gladbach. St. Pauli, who finished in 14th place last season, have another incentive: winning their first away game against HSV since February 2020.

With more than 57,000 spectators in the Volksparkstadion, including around 6,000 St. Pauli supporters, this encounter will be a very special spectacle. Tagesspiegel points out that ...