Bayern Munich will be keen to keep their hold on the top spot when they face VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Defending champions Bayern Munich will travel to the Mercedes-Benz Arena to take on VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Saturday night.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side are coming off the back of an impressive 3-0 win over title challengers Union Berlin and are ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. With Dortmund set to face RB Leipzig earlier on Friday, there is reason to believe that Bayern could put some gap between themselves and the chasing pack at the top.
Die Roten remain the favourites to secure an 11th straight Bundesliga title. Nagelsmann’s side are their own worst enemy and have shown themselves to be susceptible to the odd shock every now and then. Whether their opponents on Saturday can pull one out of the hat remains another question.
Stuttgart are struggling to put some distance between them and the relegation zone and faced the ignominy of losing to Schalke last weekend. They are now just one of three sides to lose to the Bundesliga’s bottom club so far.
Bruno Labbadia’s side are currently out of the relegation zone but only on goal difference. Unless they can tighten themselves at the back, that advantage might also go up in smoke should Bayern be in the mood.
Expecting Stuttgart to secure one point, let alone all three is an exercise in futility given the difference in quality and form between both the teams. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
VfB Stuttgart
ℹ Wichtige Anreise-Infos zum Heimspiel gegen den @FCBayern. Die #MercedesBenzArena ist komplett ausverkauft – die Mercedesstraße ab 15:00 Uhr gesperrt. Bewachte, kostenfreie Fahrradstellplätze wie bisher vorhanden.
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_#VfB | 🔜 #VfBFCB— VfB Stuttgart (@VfB) March 2, 2023
The home side will be without the influential Borna Sosa, who will be sidelined by suspension. To add to Stuttgart’s troubles, Serhou Guirassy, Florian Muller and Pascal Stenzel bare also doubts as they continue to recover from injuries
Bruno Labbadia has an otherwise fully fit squad at his disposal and will hope that the roster can conjure some magic of their own on the night. Stuttgart are likely to deploy in a 4-3-3 formation that can be considered freely flexible.
Not only does it allow them to prepare for the counter but also gives them the tactical flexibility to revert to a packed midfield or a five-man defence.
Fabian Bredlow should start in the goal behind the back four of Waldemar Anton, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Hiroki Ito. Wataru Endo, Atakan Karazor and Genki Haraguchi should form the midfield three with the latter given the orders to push forward where possible.
Silas, Chris Fuhrich and Gil Dias will form the attacking backbone of a side that is seeking to escape the relegation quagmire. How well they can cope against Bayern’s illustrious defenders will set store for what is to come on the field.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Bredlow; Anton, Mavropanos, Zagadou, Ito; Endo, Karazor, Haraguchi; Gil, Silas, Fuhrich
Bayern Munich
The defending champions were impressive in their win over Union Berlin. And it will have given them the boost needed following the setback against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Furthermore, Die Roten will also welcome back Sadio Mane, who marked his return to action with a cameo off the bench against Union Berlin, The Senegalese international has impressed at the Allianz Arena and is in contention to feature on the night.
Nagelsmann is likely to deploy his side in a 4-2-3-1 that will be key in the efforts to win the midfield battle. Yann Sommer should continue in goal behind the back four of Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt and Alphonso Davies.
✨ Attack 🆚 Defence 🚫#MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/WssEdob4fd
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) March 2, 2023
Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka form the base in midfield that will form the crux for Bayern’s dominant attack. Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman will provide the width while Jamal Musiala should don the role of the number 10.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will lead the line and should be expected to put the Stuttgart defence under immense pressure. With Mane available to come off the bench, Die Roten go into the tie as favourites.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sommer; Pavard, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Musiala, Coman; Choupo-Moting
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich have won 67 of their 107 Bundesliga games against VfB Stuttgart so far. No other team has recorded more wins against a single opponent in German league history.
- Failure to win on the night will see Bayern Munich go three straight games without a win against Stuttgart for the first time since 2000.
- Bayern Munich have scored 11 times in the opening 15 minutes of a Bundesliga match this season. Meanwhile, Stuttgart have conceded 10 goals in the same timeframe, more than any other side in the Bundesliga this season.
- Stuttgart have picked up four wins in their last six Bundesliga home games, accounting for the best home record (in terms of percentage of total points scored) among any side in the Bundesliga.
Player to Watch
Jamal Musiala
The German international has been among the standout players in Europe and is Die Roten’s beating heart in the attack. Musiala’s ability to run into space wreaks havoc in the opposition backline and frees up opportunities for other players to make their move.
Marking him out of the game is not an easy task and unless Stuttgart manage to do so, they are likely to be in for a long night. It will come as a surprise should Musiala end the game without a goal contribution to his name.
Prediction
VfB Stuttgart 0-3 Bayern Munich
The loss to Borussia Monchengladbach last month was a rude wakeup call for Die Roten, and they looked determined to set the record straight. They dominated against Union Berlin last time around and will be keen to get off to a quick start at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Given the disparity in quality, form and ambitions, it is difficult to see anything but a comfortable win for the Bavarians on the night.
