St. Pauli and Lok Leipzig See Positive Injury Comebacks Ahead of Important Matches

St. Pauli and Lok Leipzig are making notable progress in players' recoveries as they prepare for upcoming fixtures. St. Pauli faces RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, with three key injured players working toward comebacks. Forward Martijn Kaars, sidelined with a minor muscle injury, is close to resuming training, having already run at speeds up to 25 km/h. Coach Alexander Blessin expressed optimism that Kaars could return for the Leipzig match, calling it a "perfect timing." Left-back Louis Oppie, recovering from a thigh bruise, is also progressing but will be carefully integrated to avoid rushing, especially with a congested schedule including games against Wolfsburg and Dortmund. Conversely, top scorer Andréas Hountondji is still sidelined due to a hairline ankle fracture sustained in late December, with sport director Andreas Bornemann emphasizing his recovery will take more weeks.

Meanwhile, Lok Leipzig experienced a morale boost with goalkeeper Niclas Müller returning after hip surgery at the start of the season. During the Hallenfußball tournament in Halle, despite some injury risk concerns, coach Jochen Seitz let players choose participation, with five U19 talents supplementing the squad. Lok Leipzig performed well, advancing to the semifinals but losing in penalties to Hallescher FC. They secured third place by defeating Dölau in another penalty shootout. Key players like Dorian Cevis, Hannes Schneider, and Pascal Buchmann made important contributions.

These injury recoveries and cautious returns represent vital steps as both teams manage squad fitness for crucial upcoming fixtures.