VfB Stuttgart vs RB Leipzig: The key comparisons | OneFootball

"The key will be to deliver a top performance both defensively and offensively for the full 90 minutes," said right-back Ridle Baku ahead of the match between the fourth- and fifth-placed sides. The little things will make all the difference - especially in a game like this between two teams so close in the table.

A number of top players will face off in the battle for Champions League qualification. We've compared the individuals and had a closer look at the key clashes in the game between VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig.

The goalkeepers

Maarten Vandevoordt will be feeling particularly proud after the Augsburg match: The penalty hero repeatedly prevented RB Leipzig from falling further behind in his eighth competitive appearance and was given a special round of applause by the fans at full time. Keep it up, Maarten!

Alexander Nübel is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga: The 29-year-old has kept a clean sheet in nine of his 25 appearances this season. In the first leg, RBL striker Rômulo forced him into a mistake and slotted the ball into the empty net. 

Maarten Vandevoordt:

Alexander Nübel:

Tough tacklers

Leipzig and Stuttgart are the strongest teams in the league in terms of duels. RB Leipzig have won 53.2% of their challenges, while Stuttgart have won slightly more (53.3%). An intense game is almost guaranteed!

Stuttgart's strikers may be in for a tough afternoon: Willi Orban (67%) and Castello Lukeba (65.7%) are two of the best tacklers in the league. Only Hamburg's Vuskovic has won more challenges (69.9%).

Jeff Chabot (63.9%) and Maximilian Mittelstädt (63.6%) are two of Stuttgart's best defenders. In the first leg, Chabot scored the own goal that gave our team a temporary 1-0 lead.

Midfield engines

He is one of the most consistent players in the RB Leipzig squad: Nicolas Seiwald has played in all 25 Bundesliga matches, starting 24 of them. "He has consistently delivered good performances throughout the entire season," said Ole Werner about the Austrian at the beginning of February.

As the lone defensive midfielder, the Austrian international provides crucial cover in the middle of the park. His greatest strengths are closing down space and winning back possession. Seiwald ranks ninth in the league for most distance covered (272.89 km). His 33 ball recoveries highlight his importance to the team.

Angelo Stiller is also a consistent performer: Like Seiwald, Stiller has made 25 league appearances – 21 of them in the starting eleven. With 250.73 kilometers covered, he is Stuttgart's most tireless runner. His 32 ball recoveries place him just behind Seiwald.

The attack

As the second half against Augsburg showed, when our team gets going, it really gets going! 20 shots on goal meant that visiting goalkeeper Finn Dahmen was under constant pressure.

Leipzig's attack consistently creates good scoring opportunities. Their xGoals value of 52.3 is the second-best behind Bayern München (65.98). The Bavarian side (458) are also the only ones to have had more shots at goal than RBL (400).

VfB Stuttgart are slightly behind RB Leipzig in those metrics (44.18 xG and 383 shots). However, the Swabians boast a finishing efficiency of 5.82, scoring more goals than expected. 

The best attacking player behind strikers Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirovic is Jamie Leweling. The right-winger has 14 goal contributions this season (7 goals, 7 assists) and has delivered the most crosses in the league (75).

The goalscorers

Christoph Baumgartner and Yan Diomande are the danger men for RBL. They have both scored ten goals this season - a share of 42% of Leipzig's goals. 

In the first leg, Diomande was named "Man of the Match". The Ivorian set up the opening goal and scored the second himself. In one-on-one situations, Diomande is virtually unstoppable. He boasts the second-highest top speed in the league (36.30 km/h), goes past his opponents with ease and finishes clinically with both feet. 

Germany international Deniz Undav is Stuttgart's top scorer by some distance. The 29-year-old has already netted 15 times, ahead of Ermedin Demirovic with eight goals. Both are likely to start as a strike partnership at the MHP Arena.

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