St. Pauli and Cologne are fighting to preserve their Bundesliga status at the business end of 2025/26. - © IMAGO/Maik Hölter/TEAM2sportphoto

bundesliga

St. Pauli and Cologne prepare to do battle in huge relegation six-pointer

14.04.2026

Cologne came out of a relegation six-pointer on top on Matchday 29 as they defeated fellow strugglers Werder Bremen 3-1, but this weekend has thrown up another crucial clash in their bid for survival in the form of a visit to 16th-placed St. Pauli. The latter, meanwhile, enter the encounter needing points to avoid a relegation play-off, or worse…

After a strong start to the campaign, Cologne’s form nosedived, with just two wins in 18 games between Matchdays 10 and 27 leaving them with no choice but to make changes.

That led to the departure of Lukas Kwasniok as head coach, with René Wagner replacing him, and the switch has already had an impact. Against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 28, the Billy Goats fell 2-0 behind, but showed fantastic resilience to fight back and earn a point. A week later, they dealt with the high-pressure situation of a match-up with fellow strugglers Bremen to register a comfortable victory.

Watch: Cologne 3-1 Werder Bremen - highlights

That triumph ended a run of eight games without a victory, while they are now unbeaten in four straight games for the first time this campaign. Kwasniok does deserve partial credit for that, given he was in charge for the first two fixtures in that run.

Cologne were already dangerous going forward, but Wagner’s arrival has seen their offensive threat increase further. Over the last two matchdays, no team had a higher xGoal value than their 7.4, and their 43 goals at this point of the campaign are a good omen. No team with as many strikes after 29 games has dropped down to the second tier.

In Saïd El Mala, they have a 19-year-old winger at the top of his game with 11 goals in the Bundesliga this term, and the likes of Ragnar Ache, Marius Bülter and Jakub Kamiński have chipped in with important strikes, too.

Crucially, the Bremen win has given them a five-point lead over the play-off spot for the first time since Matchday 20, easing the pressure on them and heaping it on their upcoming opponents.

While Pauli are far from the first team to suffer at the hands of Bayern Munich – after all, the Bavarians have scored more goals (105) than any other team in a single Bundesliga season – but their 5-0 Matchday 29 loss was the latest in a run of poor results. They are without a win since the end of February, picking up just two points from their last five games.

Although Cologne did take points off Bremen, who are three points above Pauli in the table, the Kiezkicker’s -25 goal difference is five worse than Werder’s (-20), leaving them in a difficult position as we approach the final stretch.

Watch: St. Pauli 0-5 Bayern Munich - highlights

In contrast to Wagner’s men, finding the back of the net has proved challenging for Alexander Blessin and Co. For the second season in a row, they have registered the fewest goals in the Bundesliga (28 last season, 25 this), with those strikes also coming from a league-low 299 shots.

Recent history does not point in Pauli’s favour ahead of Friday’s clash, either. They have not won any of their past seven meetings with Cologne, while the latter have won each of the past three at the Millerntor. The North-Rhine Westphalia outfit, meanwhile, have won 10 of their 17 top-flight matches against Pauli.

The Hamburg-based club, though, will look to other statistics for inspiration. Cologne’s last away win came on 3 October, meaning no other side in the top flight has waited as long for a success on the road, while Pauli are unbeaten in all three Friday matches they have featured in since earning promotion in 2024.

Alexander Blessin will be hoping to find a solution to St. Pauli's troubles in front of goal against Cologne. - Ronny Hartmann

A small positive, perhaps, but at this point of the campaign, Blessin and his squad will cling on to anything they can as they look to extend their stay in the top flight. In duels such as this, it is often the team who handles the situation best that comes out on top, and both head coaches will no doubt be drilling that into their players in the build-up.