Who are SC Paderborn?

SC Paderborn are the sensations of the new Bundesliga season, the promoted side leading the way after Saturday's 2-0 home victory over Hannover 96 which included a record-breaking goal from 83m.

Before they visit FC Bayern München on Tuesday, UEFA.com profiles the team billed as "relegation candidate No1", a squad built by André Breitenreiter and featuring outcasts, oddballs, a formerly homeless player and a convict.

History
Though Paderborn's parent clubs date back as far as 1907, the current organisation was founded by a 1985 merger of sides who had never risen above the lower levels of the German league system with the exception of TuS Schloss Neuhaus, bottom in their sole second-tier season in 1982/83.

Paderborn, from the west of Germany not far from Bielefeld, spent 20 years in the third and fourth tiers, before reaching the 2. Bundesliga in 2005. Relegated in the 2007/08 campaign, they were back after one year and in 2011/12 came close to gaining promotion to the Bundesliga, finishing fifth, before finally making the grade this summer.

André Breitenreiter©Getty Images

Coach
André Breitenreiter, a former Bundesliga player who wore the Germany shirt at youth level, hadn't had much of an impact as a coach before joining Paderborn in 2013. He actually only started coaching four years earlier at his son's Under-9 club before helping fourth-division TSV Havelse avoid relegation in 2011 and achieve a fifth-place finish in 2012. The next year he moved on to Paderborn and guided them to promotion at the first attempt.

"The main reason I am here is the club's philosophy,", the 40-year-old said. "To work with young, hungry and competitive players, to improve them, to make them interesting for ourselves or other clubs to gain transfer income."

Breitenreiter is experienced when it comes to being an underdog in the Bundesliga. From 1999 to 2002 he was a striker with SpVgg Unterhaching, the team from the town of 23,000 staying up in their first season, arguably having been the biggest outsiders in the league's history. "Now we are the crassest outsiders," Breitenreiter says.

Key players
Not surprisingly, there are no real stars at Paderborn, their small budget only allowing them to sign players either unwanted or undiscovered. Therefore excerpts from the squad list read like a cast for your typical Hollywood sports movie.

Süleyman Koc©Getty Images

There is Daniel Brückner, who was homeless at the age of 17; Süleyman Koç, a former gang member in Berlin and incarcerated until late 2013; Moritz Stoppelkamp, latterly of Hannover, the club he scored against from 83m at the weekend; and Mahir Saglik, who ended the last campaign as the 2. Bundesliga's top marksman, having been told he was not good enough for VfL Wolfsburg, VfL Bochum 1848 or FC St. Pauli.

"I would like to sign established players as well," Breitenreiter says. "But our budget does not allow it. We can only look for players who did not make it elsewhere."

Style
Paderborn are known for a brave attacking style, registering the second-most goals in their division last term – yet also conceding more than 11 other sides on the way to promotion. Former coach Roger Schmidt, now at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, instilled a strong pressing game which is, in a very different form, still followed by Breitenreiter.

They are happy to be without possession and then to strike with quick attacks and transitions after winning the ball. They opt for a game with a lot of running and try to break down the wings, which helped them to the runners-up spot behind 1. FC Köln last season.