2. Bundesliga preview: SV Darmstadt 98 vs. FC St. Pauli

SV Darmstadt 98 host FC St. Pauli on Friday evening at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on matchday nine of the 2. Bundesliga campaign. Florian Kohfeldt's Darmstadt are under pressure to respond following a heavy 4-0 away defeat against Karlsruher SC. Meanwhile, Marcel Rapp's St. Pauli side arrive seeking their first away victory of the season after drawing each of their opening four road matches, most recently drawing 1-1 with Hannover 96.

Darmstadt enter the fixture with confidence from two consecutive home wins, though Kohfeldt signaled lineup adjustments after criticizing defensive discipline and work rate. Darmstadt will miss Luca Marseiler, Fabian Nürnberger, Merveille Papela, Carlo Sickinger, and Yosuke Furukawa due to injuries. St. Pauli will also be without Matthias Pereira Lage and Gisli Thórdarson as they rely on Eric Smith to build play from the back.