Champions Bayer Leverkusen will hope to reignite their title defence on Saturday when they welcome strugglers St Pauli to BayArena in their 13th Bundesliga game of the season.

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The Black and Reds' contest against Union Berlin was closely fought, with both teams producing eight shots and two big chances, but the champions ultimately showcased the persistence that won them the title last season when they found a winner in the 71st minute.

Leverkusen managed to claw back two points on leaders Bayern Munich, who drew 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund on November 30, but are still seven points behind Vincent Kompany's Bavarians.

Alonso's side progressed to the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal after beating Bayern 1-0 on Tuesday, a match in which they benefitted from goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's 17th-minute red card.

The hosts have netted 28 times and conceded on 19 occasions in the Bundesliga, and these are the league's third-best attacking and joint ninth-best defensive returns.

Leverkusen's record in recent weeks has been strong, with the club winning their last four by a cumulative score of 13-3, and they have in fact only lost one of their past 17 outings, drawing six times in that period.

Die Werkself's home form is excellent considering they are unbeaten in their last eight – emerging victorious in six of those fixtures – and have won 28, drawn six and been defeated in just one of their past 35 games at BayArena.

Meanwhile, St Pauli created four big chances in contrast to Holstein Kiel's four, while also hitting the woodwork, but perhaps the victors were fortunate that goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj saved Jann-Fiete Arp's penalty at the end of the first half when they were only winning 1-0.

The match was also the first time Kiezkicker had scored a Bundesliga goal in their own stadium in 13 years, and boss Alexander Blessin expressed his relief in the aftermath of the match, saying: "The momentum was fully on our side when the ball bounced off the inside of the post [for the opening goal] and went in. We've earned ourselves that luck in recent weeks."

Blessin's side are just one point above 16th-placed Heidenheim, who occupy the division's relegation playoff spot, though they are six points from the automatic relegation zone.

St Pauli have won two and lost two of their past four Bundesliga matches, and having scored five goals in that time, they doubled their tally from the prior eight league games.

The visitors have been defeated in four of their six most recent top-flight outings, winning two of their last four on the road.

Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:

Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Garcia, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Tella

St Pauli possible starting lineup:

Vasilj; Wahl, Smith, Nemeth; Saliakas, Irvine, Boukhalfa, Treu; Afolayan, Eggestein, Guilavogui