FC St. Pauli vs 1. FC Heidenheim

This is the first meeting between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Heidenheim in the Bundesliga. St. Pauli are unbeaten in their last seven competitive games against FCH (W5, D2), while their only home defeat to Heidenheim came in their first match-up back in 2014/15 (3-0; W5, D3 since).

After 13 consecutive seasons in the second division, FC St. Pauli are playing in the Bundesliga for the first time since 2010/11 – only Greuther Fürth have had a longer spell in Bundesliga 2 in its current format (15 seasons from 1997/98 to 2011/12). This will be the Kiezkicker’s ninth top-flight campaign, with the last three each ending in relegation – no side has ever been relegated from the Bundesliga four times in a row.

FC St. Pauli ended the 2023/24 season top of the second division for the first time in its current format. With 69 points, it was also their best campaign in Bundesliga 2’s single-division era. It was also the best season from any second-tier club in seven years since VfB Stuttgart also picked up 69 points in 2016/17.

1. FC Heidenheim’s eighth-place finish was the third-best for a Bundesliga debutant since the 80s, with only TSG Hoffenheim (7th in 2008/09) and RB Leipzig (2nd in 2016/17) doing better. FCH also became just the third Bundesliga debutants to qualify for Europe courtesy of their league finish after Wuppertaler SV in 1972/73 and RB Leipzig in 2016/17.

FC St. Pauli have only started a Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 campaign with a defeat in one of the last 16 seasons (2-1 at VfB Stuttgart in 2016/17). Since then, the Kiezkicker have gone unbeaten in their opening match of the season on seven consecutive occasions (W5, D2). Across their previous eight top-flight campaigns, St. Pauli have won their first match four times (D2, L2) – their most recent campaign in the Bundesliga began with a 3-1 win at SC Freiburg in 2010/11.