Borussia Dortmund vs. VfB Stuttgart preview: BVB looking to end their Swabian hoodoo | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund entered the international break period on the back of disappointment after a late Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer strike consigned them to a 1-1 draw in Hamburg. A result which saw them slip seven points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. 

Perhaps, however, international football putting a halt to club action came at the right time for BVB. Niko Kovac’s side have experienced somewhat of a goal drought since the start of October with just one scored per match in their last five outings. 

With the likes of Serhou Guirassy out of form and inconsistency from other offensive options like Maxi Beier and Karim Adeyemi; a fresh start might be valuable for the Westphalians. Especially ahead of their big clash with VfB Stuttgart this Saturday. 

The Swabians have become a bogey team for BVB of sorts – In all competitions, the Black and Yellows have lost five of the last six meetings between the two clubs with one solitary draw. Their last win over VfB came in the form of a 5-0 triumph in October 2022.

Team news:

It seems almost hard to believe but BVB’s bill of health is remarkably good with only Niklas Sule (bruised toe) a slight doubt. Emre Can (adductor) has since returned while Julien Duranville (shoulder) is fit again having togged out for the U-23’s before the break.

Such is the case, Gregor Kobel is shielded by a backline of Anton, Schlotterbeck and Bensebaini. In midfield, Julian Ryerson and Daniel Svensson ought to play on the flanks either side of Nmecha and Sabitzer. In attack, Chukwuemeka should be rewarded for his efforts in Hamburg alongside Maxi Beier and Serhou Guirassy. 

Predicted lineup: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson – Chukwuemeka, Beier – Guirassy

VfB Stuttgart

On the other side of the coin is VfB Stuttgart who, in truth, probably didn’t want the international break to arrive so soon given their fine run of form. Aside from a rather luckless slip up in Leipzig, Sebastian Hoeness’ side seemed to be motoring nicely.

Otherwise, four topflight wins through October into November saw them climb up to third and level with this weekend's opponents Dortmund as only goal difference separates them – bear in mind they’ve scored 10 to BVB’s 5 since October began.

Although European duty in the Europa League has proved a bit of a handful, Hoeness has coped well with a hefty injury list at times. Credit must go to the 43-year-old for getting the best out of Bilal El Khannouss and Deniz Undav when it mattered.

The Baden-Wuerttemberg side can also take confidence in knowing they have been able to get under Dortmund’s skin in recent years. As highlighted by their five-game winning streak over BVB, Hoeness seems to have found the perfect recipe in this crunch fixture. The question is can he repeat the dose?

Team news: 

Ermedin Demirovic (foot) and Yannik Keitel (muscle) are the only long-term absentees for VfB, while Justin Diehl (ligament) appears to be nearing a return although Saturday may come too soon for a comeback.

Alex Nubel should be protected by a back-four of Assignon, Jeltsch, Chabot and Maxi Mittelstadt. Chema Andres and Angelo Stiller ought to anchor the midfield behind Tiago Tomas, El Khannouss and Jamie Leweling. Up top, Deniz Undav is expected to lead the line. 

Predicted lineup: Nubel – Assignon, Jeltsch, Chabot, Mittelstadt – Chema, Stiller – Tomas, El Khannouss, Leweling - Undav