VfB Stuttgart vs. Bayer Leverkusen preview: Showdown for Champions League qualification | OneFootball

After Bundesliga lost its battle with LaLiga for an extra Champions League spot, Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen will go head-to-head in one of the most important games of matchday 33 in Bundesliga.

VfB Stuttgart

Sebastian Hoeneß’s men revived their hopes with an injury-time equalizer from Tiago Tomás avoiding a costly defeat away at Hoffenheim. The solitary point put Stuttgart level on points with Hoffenheim and Leverkusen (58).

With their next direct duel on Saturday, the DFB-Pokal finalists have the opportunity to take a huge step towards Champions League qualification. Rayo Vallecano’s progress to the Conference League confirmed only two more spots left for Bundesliga clubs, with RB Leipzig leading the race with 62 points.

Stuttgart will end the season with the trip to Conference League hopefuls Eintracht Frankfurt before facing FC Bayern in the cup final. Their sought-after coach still has two more years in his contract, but it’s hard to rule out a separation at the end of the season.

Team News

The captain, Atakan Karazor, who last played at MHP Arena in the late defeat to Borussia Dortmund, will miss the last home game of the season after his sending off in the 3-3 draw with Hoffenheim. Center-backs Finn Jeltsch and Ameen Al-Dakhil are back in training after recovering from their respective injuries.

Bayer Leverkusen

Kasper Hjulmand’s side are currently in better form than their Saturday hosts. The unfortunate 2-1 defeat at home against Augsburg is the only game they failed to win from the last five matchdays.

They have scored half a dozen goals against Wolfsburg at the start of this streak, while their recent performance was even more impressive. Leverkusen ended RB Leipzig’s winning run with a deserved 4-1 victory.

Patrik Schick stole the headlines with a hat-trick against his club. The Augsburg result is the only defeat Hjulmand’s men have faced in their last ten games. Before they finish the season at home against HSV, Leverkusen could boost their Champions League hopes with a big win at MHP Arena.

Team News

There are plans to have Lucas Vazquez back in the matchday squad after his long-term injury, but Hjulmand will most likely keep the same starting XI from one of their best displays of the season. Martin Terrier is the only absentee from the squad list due to an injury.

Head-to-Head

Leverkusen had been unbeaten in their last 15 games against Stuttgart before the sides met when the Bundesliga resumed from the winter break in January. However, Stuttgart produced a brutal performance that night as they scored four unanswered goals in the first-half.

The Swabians are now hoping for a first home win in 16 years in this fixture. There is also another spell they would want to break as Stuttgart last beat Leverkusen home and away in the same season back when they lifted the Meisterschale in the 1990/91 campaign.

Predicted Lineups

Stuttgart: Nübel; Vagnoman, Chabot, Hendriks, Mittelstädt; Chema, Stiller; Leweling, El Khannouss, Führich; Undav ©

Leverkusen: Flekken; Quansah, Andrich ©, Tapsoba; Culbreath, Aleix Garcia, Palacios, Grimaldo; Maza, Tella; Schick