VfB Stuttgart vs. Borussia Dortmund preview: Feisty foes reunite once more | OneFootball

VfB Stuttgart:

With the Bundesliga returning this weekend after an exciting international break, this Saturday's top spiel encounter throws up a thrilling clash between VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund. Kick-off is scheduled for 18:30 CET at the MHP Arena.

Stuttgart's last Bundesliga involvement saw them claim an impressive 5-2 victory away at FC Augsburg. Tiago Tomas, Nikolas Nartey and Ermedin Demirović found the net while Deniz Undav bagged a brace in a free scoring performance in Bavaria. 

The in-form 29-year-old continued his hot streak into the subsequent international games in late March. He became the hero of the night at Stuttgart's very own MHP Arena, netting the match-winning goal for Germany in a 2-1 win over Ghana last Monday.

Fans of the Baden-Württemberg cheered his name and they will hope to be doing it again this weekend as BVB come to town. It's worth mentioning Undav netted a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with the Westphalians this season and won four of the last five meetings. 

Team news:

The hosts come into this fixture with a clean bill of health which will come as a great relief to Sebastian Hoeneß for the run in. The only player expected to miss out is former BVB man Dan-Axel Zagadou (muscle injury).

Nübel ought to start behind Jeltsch, Chabot and Hendriks in defence. Karazor and Stiller ought to anchor midfielder with Leweling and Mittelstädt, while El Khannouss and Undav are expected to support Demirović.

Predicted lineup: Nübel – Jeltsch, Chabot, Hendriks – Leweling, Karazor, Stiller, Mittelstädt – El Khannouss, Undav – Demirović

Borussia Dortmund:

As for Borussia Dortmund, their last outing in Germany's domestic topflight ended in a 3-2 win over Hamburger SV. It must be noted that it was anything convincing or straightforward – HSV opened up a two-goal lead before BVB's second-half comeback. 

Nico Schlotterbeck was one of BVB's few stars on international duty for Germany. He encountered some difficulties in the 4-3 win over Switzerland but performed well against Ghana. One slightly unsettling factor is his unknown future at Dortmund. 

Whether that has an impact on the team's psyche going forward remains to be seen. With just two defeats in the Bundesliga all season – both to Bayern Munich – it would suggest not. Even if the Yellow and Black's have ridden their luck at times throughout the campaign.

However, another worry for the Ruhrpott side is their dismal recent run of results against Stuttgart. Amazingly, they last tasted victory over the Swabians in October 2022 and despite their comfortable league position, it's a monkey they'll want to get off their backs.

Team news:

BVB travel south with only two key absentees in Emre Can (ACL tear) and Felix Nmecha (torn knee ligament). Filippo Mane is also expected to miss out for the Westphalians with a muscle injury still troubling him.

Kobel should be protected by a three-man line of Anton, Schlotterbeck and Bensebaini. Ryerson and Svensson ought to play wide of Sabitzer and Bellingham, with the pacy Beier and Adeyemi supporting Guirassy up top.

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Sabitzer, Bellingham, Svensson – Adeyemi, Beier – Guirassy