Will Leverkusen remain Stuttgart’s fearsome opponents?
The only German side in the UEFA Europa League and Conference League respectively, Bayer Leverkusen were victorious in their opening group stage match on Thursday night. Despite a performance that was anything but convincing, the Rhinelanders retained the upper hand with a 2-1 win and will now be looking to follow suit in the Bundesliga three days later.
The Werkself will then be guests at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Ahead of the match between VfB Stuttgart and Leverkusen, the odds show that the bookmakers once again see Gerardo Seoane’s team as favourites While the Swabians have “only” managed to pick up four points so far, Bayer already have seven. The previous week saw the first defeat of the season for the match-happy Leverkusen side with a 4-3 loss at home to Dortmund.
For those who find it a little too tricky to make a prediction on the outcome of the match between VfB Stuttgart and Leverkusen in view of the starting position, they can also place a bet on a relatively high number of goals.
Because both teams certainly have their strengths offensivelyand have been involved in high-scoring games more than once this season, it can be assumed that the line of 2.5 or even 3.5 goals will also be cracked on Sunday afternoon.
Germany VfB Stuttgart – Statistics & current form
The people in charge at VfB Stuttgart certainly can’t complain about low morale within the team these days. This became impressively clear once again last weekend. Despite being shorthanded and trailing late in the away game against Eintracht Frankfurt, the Swabians did not give up and scored with one of their few chances to draw 1-1.
Nevertheless, this positive ending to a disappointing match should not obscure the fact that coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s charges are currently having great problems consistently putting their own performance on the pitch. The logical consequence is an average start to the season with four points from four games and eleventh place in the interim standings.
Is Matarazzo finally getting a grip on the defence?
To name VfB’s biggest problem at the moment, just take a look at the number of goals conceded, as only SpVgg Greuther Fürth and Hertha conceded more goals than Stuttgart in the first four matchdays. They conceded a total of nine goals, four of them at home. The white-and-red team, which surprisingly finished ninth last year, has been waiting in vain for a clean sheet.
Because with the Werkself an offensively extremely strong team is now coming to the Mercedes-Benz Arena, it follows from common sense that between VfB Stuttgart and Leverkusen the odds on a home win are not our first choice. This is partly supported by the statistics, which show the Swabians as winners in only one of the last 18 Bundesliga encounters against the Rhinelanders. In addition, have lost four of their last six home games in the league this season
To make matters worse, the coach continues to be concerned about the personnel situation. Not only is Sasa Kalajdzic, by far the most dangerous attacker, out, but the absence of the suspended Anton or the ill Förster, as well as the long-term unavailability of Silas, Sankoh, Cissé or Führich, mean that Matarazzo does not have the options he would like at the moment.
Predicted line-up of VfB Stuttgart:
F. Müller – Mavropanos, Karazor, Kempf – W. Endo – Massimo, Mangala, Sosa – Klement, Klimowicz – Marmoush.
Last matches played by VfB Stuttgart:
Germany Leverkusen – Statistics & current form
For Bayer Leverkusen, the start of the season has been extremely satisfactory so far. In view of the change in the coaching position and the demanding opening programme, it was not a matter of course that the Werkself started with seven points from four games. It is all the more remarkable that the Rhinelanders are already brimming with self-confidence and in the mood to play.
This thesis is primarily reflected in the number of goals scored. Only FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund have scored more often than Seoane’s team, which has scored three or more goals in three of the four matches mentioned above. On top of that, they advanced in the DFB Pokal and got off to a good start in the Europa League on Thursday evening, when they defeated Ferencvaros 2-1 despite trailing 1-0
Leverkusen’s form is right
In view of the good performances in recent weeks and the enormous quality of the forward play, a bet on the European Cup contender between VfB Stuttgart and Leverkusen is a natural choice. Another argument for this can be found in the history, because in fact the Werkself has not been able to celebrate more victories against any other club than against the Swabians in their own Bundesliga history A good omen for the coming Sunday
The widely discussed problem of the double burden should only affect Swiss-born Gerardo Seoane peripherally, as the squad has the necessary depth and some players will not be used in the Europa League on Thursday, or only as wild cards. Patrik Schick, Paulinho or Bakker, for example, are all likely to rotate back into the starting eleven
The issue of fatigue will therefore only play a subordinate role. The chances of an away win – it would be the second in a row – are therefore very good, even if four potential regulars are still absent with Palacios, Baumgartlinger, Fosu-Mensah and Tapsoba.
Predicted Leverkusen line-up:
Hradecky – Frimpong, Kossounou, Tah, Bakker – C. Aranguiz, Demirbay – Diaby, Wirtz, Paulinho – Schick
Last matches played by Leverkusen:
VfB Stuttgart – Leverkusen Direct comparison / H2H-Balance
Attention, spoilers: Fans of VfB Stuttgart should skip this paragraph at best. The Swabians have only managed to win one of their last 18 Bundesliga games against Leverkusen. In a review of the past 23 duels in the top flight, there was even only one clean sheet.
Also interesting: None of the last nine home games ended with a VfB victory. Only against FC Bayern do the white and red team have a longer series of winless games in their own stadium than they currently have against Bayer. We have already mentioned the fact that the Werkself have not celebrated as many victories against any other first division team as they have against their upcoming opponents, and this must be taken into account in the VfB Stuttgart vs Leverkusen forecast.
United Kingdom VfB Stuttgart – Leverkusen United Kingdom tip
An exciting match awaits us this coming Sunday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. VfB Stuttgart will meet Leverkusen and according to the odds, they are considered underdogs. This assessment is no coincidence, as the Werkself is the Swabians’ big fear opponent in the Bundesliga. For nine home games and more than ten years, VfB has been waiting for a home win against the Rhinelanders…
The current situation is also likely to play into the hands of Seoane’s team, as Leverkusen have clearly made the stronger impression on the four match days so far. Especially the offensive has been convincing with twelve goals already scored. It is quite possible that Schick and Co. will be able to put their stamp on the game again against the very susceptible Stuttgart defence.
