Relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart are all set to host title challengers Borussia Dortmund, who are two points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
16th-placed VfB Stuttgart, who are fighting for survival in the German top flight will host second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Dortmund will look to keep themselves alive in the title race with a win, whereas Stuttgart will be desperate for a positive result as they look to continue in the Bundesliga for next season.
The Black and Yellows are looking to end their 11-year wait for the Bundesliga title and overthrow league leaders Bayern Munich. With their recent defeat to Bayern and a loss to RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals, Dortmund must now focus solely on the Bundesliga if they hope to lift the trophy this season.
Despite their recent setbacks, the team remain firmly in the title race and will be looking to keep the pressure on Bayern with a win against Stuttgart. The Champions League defeat to Manchester City may have had an adverse effect on the reigning German champions. But Dortmund must stay focused on their own performance as they aim to secure a victory against Stuttgart.
Edin Terzić’s team are heading into this encounter on the back of a 2-1 win over Union Berlin, and they will be hoping to continue their winning streak and close the gap at the top of the table when they square up against the home team.
As far as Stuttgart are concerned, they will look to maintain their recent good form and secure their position outside of the automatic relegation zone. After two wins from two matches under Sebastian Hoeness, the team will be looking to continue their momentum and secure another vital win against Dortmund.
Their recent 3-2 win against fellow strugglers VfL Bochum moved them out of the bottom two positions. But they cannot afford to slip back into danger with tough fixtures still to come. Despite the challenge ahead, the team will be looking to cause an upset against Dortmund.
With their recent win against Bochum, Stuttgart will be full of confidence and will be looking to take advantage of any potential weaknesses in Dortmund’s game. The match against Dortmund represents a vital opportunity for Stuttgart to secure their position outside of the relegation zone and potentially boost their chances of staying in the Bundesliga for another season.
In the previous meeting between the two teams, Stuttgart gave a good account of themselves but ultimately lost 3-2 to Dortmund. The team will be hoping to put up a stronger fight this time around and potentially pull off a shock result against one of the league’s top teams. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Stuttgart
The home team have a fully-fit squad at their disposal for this all-important fixture. With no injuries or suspensions to worry about Sebastian Hoeness will most likely start with the 3-5-2, and there might be no changes to the XI that took the field against VfL Bochum.
🗣️ “We’re happy about the change in mood, but remain alert and focused” – Sebastian #Hoeneß's pre match presser. 👇⚪️🔴#VfB | #VfBBVBhttps://t.co/kBSvyXb3BU
— VfB Stuttgart_int (@VfB_int) April 13, 2023
Fabian Bredlow will start in goal for Hoeness. The back three will comprise Konstantinos Mavropanos, Waldemar Anton and Hiroki Ito. The trio will look to keep the start-studded Dortmund attack at bay.
Josha Vagnoman and Borna Sosa will be deployed in the midfield five. But they will feature in the role of wing-backs. The duo will look to support the back three and also push forward when the opportunity arises.
Enzo Millot, Atakan Karazor and Wataru Endo will form the midfield three. The trio will have the difficult task of containing the Dortmund midfield which will be led by 19-year-old sensation Jude Bellingham. As far as the attack is concerned, Serhou Guirassy will pair up with Chris Fuhrich as the front two.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Bredlow; Mavropanos, Anton, Ito; Vagnoman, Endo, Karazor, Millot, Sosa; Guirassy, Führich
Borussia Dortmund
The visitors will be without the services of Julien Duranville and Mateu Morey due to injuries. Nico Schlotterbeck is also unlikely to feature in this game as Dortmund will not rush him back from a hip injury. Meanwhile, they do have a major boost as Mats Hummels is back from a head injury and is expected to start in the absence of Schlotterbeck.
🎙 Edin Terzic:
"We recently showed a good reaction against a direct competitor. We want to build on that. It doesn't matter who we're up against now: we have to go into the final games hungry in order to have a great story together at the end of the season." pic.twitter.com/mHtC4yRjpT
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) April 13, 2023
Edin Terzic is expected to start with the 4-3-3 formation where Gregor Kobel will be in goal. Raphael Guerreiro and Julian Ryerson will start as the full-backs. Meanwhile, Hummels will pair up with Niklas Sule in the heart of the defence.
As far as the midfield is concerned, Jude Bellingham will start alongside the duo of Julian Brandt and Emre Can. The former Juventus defensive midfielder will stay in a deeper role while Bellingham and Brandt will push higher up the pitch.
Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen will start out wide as the wingers while Sebastien Haller will be leading the attack for Dortmund.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Hummels, Guerreiro; Bellingham, Can, Brandt; Malen, Haller, Adeyemi
Key Stats
- VfB Stuttgart have only won 11 of the last 45 matches against Dortmund, while the visiting team have won 24 times.
- Borussia Dortmund’s away record against Stuttgart is their best away record against any team in the Bundesliga. They have won 16 games away from home against Stuttgart.
- Dortmund have an average of 1.4 points per game against Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. It is their second-worst record in the league after Bayern Munich.
- The visitors are the second-highest-scoring team in the league having found the back of the net on 59 occasions in their 27 outings.
- Borussia Dortmund have picked up 31 points from their 12 Bundesliga games in 2023 – more than any other team has managed in the competition during this period.
Player to Watch
Raphaël Guerreiro
While all the limelight will be on Jude Bellingham and Karim Adeyemi, Guerreiro might end up being the difference between the two teams. The Portuguese full-back has been on fire in the ongoing season. And his manager will bank on him to get the job done both defensively and offensively.
The 29-year-old has featured in 21 Bundesliga matches in the current campaign, and he has found the back of the net thrice. The Portugal international has created 11 goals for his teammates, which is the highest in the league.
Prediction
Stuttgart 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
Stuttgart might have won their last game. But winning against Dortmund might be too much to ask from the 16th-placed team. Dortmund, on the other hand, are desperate for a win and have a squad capable enough to beat anyone on their day.
Their loss against Bayern Munich was a major setback for their title aspirations. And they are well aware of the fact that anything less than a win could end their title hopes. As a result, they will go all out for a win. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the visitors.
