Marco Rose following in the footsteps of Peter Bosz?
It was eleven months ago when VfB Stuttgart last visited Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park. For many BVB fans, however, that encounter will be remembered for many reasons. On the one hand, because the Black and Yellows disgraced themselves to the bone with a 1:5 defeat in front of their home crowd. But also because of the resulting change of coach from Favre to Terzic, who led Marco Reus and Co. to a DFB Cup triumph just six months later.
Just about exactly one year later, the starting position is different. The guests from the south of the country in particular are no longer in the form they were in back then, so a repeat of the events can be ruled out. The same is underlined by the odds of the best bookmakers between Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart, who clearly see the hosts as the favourites.
BVB are a real force in their own stadium this season. In all competitions, there have only been victories in Dortmund’s football temple. In addition, the Rose eleven will face an opponent who has not won any of its last five competitive matches and continues to struggle with enormous injury problems. However, if you don’t necessarily want to pick a winner, you can also try to predict that both teams will score at least once in the Dortmund vs VfB Stuttgart clash.
Dortmund – Statistics & current form
For Borussia Dortmund, the international break came at just the right time. The black-and-yellow team’s form curve has been trending downwards recently. In the Champions League, after the first leg, they also lost the second leg against Ajax Amsterdam (1:2) and in the Bundesliga, coach Marco Rose’s team lost out to RB Leipzig in his home town. All critics who see BVB without their wonder striker Haaland as an above-average Bundesliga team felt vindicated.
The fact that the runners-up – currently four points behind leaders Bayern – are nevertheless the clear favourites in their home match against the Swabians on Saturday afternoon is mainly due to their impressive home strength. The Westphalians have won all of their last ten (!) matches at Signal Iduna Park. For the first time in their own club history, a Bundesliga start with seven home victories in a row beckons this weekend.
Seventh BL home win for BVB this season?
Whether this will be a mere formality, however, remains to be seen, because despite the six wins in front of the home crowd, Borussia usually found it relatively difficult. With the exception of the 2:0 win against 1. FC Köln, keeper Gregor Kobel, who will face his former club on Saturday, had to make a save in all matches at the Westfalenstadion.
In fact, the reigning cup winners have only managed one clean sheet in 2021/22. On nine of the eleven matchdays, both teams scored in the matches involving BVB. Consequently, betting on goals on both sides is also highly recommended this time between Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart. Especially considering that the odds are surprisingly high.
The absence of Erling Haaland continues to weigh heavily on the team. All the more hopes rest on the shoulders of captain Marco Reus, who climbed to fourth place in BVB’s all-time scoring list with his goal against RBL. The international player has 102 goals to his name in the Dortmund kit. Incidentally, the attacker scored one of his two hat-tricks against Stuttgart in 2014. In addition to Haaland, Wolf, Reyna, Schulz, Morey and Schmelzer are still no options. Instead, Guerreiro, Dahoud and Can could return to the team and significantly increase the quality.
Predicted line-up of Dortmund:
Kobel – Meunier, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro – Witsel – Bellingham, Brandt – Reus, Malen, T. Hazard
Last matches played by Dortmund:
1st Bundesliga
11/06 2021 – RB Leipzig 2 – 1 Borussia Dortmund
Champions League Grp. C
11/03 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 1 – 3 Ajax Amsterdam
1st Bundesliga
10/30 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 0 1. FC Köln
DFB Cup
10/26 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 0 Ingolstadt
1st Bundesliga
10/23 2021 – Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 3 Borussia Dortmund
VfB Stuttgart – Statistics & current form
The fans of VfB Stuttgart are really not to be envied in these days, weeks and months. After a successful 2020/21 season, which created a certain euphoria in the surrounding area, things are not going smoothly at all in the current season. After eleven matchdays, only ten points have been earned. Two wins, four draws and already five defeats are currently only enough for 15th position, and the relegation place towards the second league is only one point away.
Nevertheless, there was also positive news to report during the international break. Goal scorer Sasa Kalajdzic, for example, has started training after his knee injury. Silas Wamangituka, who went through the roof last year, is also about to make his comeback, so that the Swabians will have much more quality and options in the coming weeks, especially in their forward play.
Stuttgart still winless away from home, but already with ten goals conceded
Anyway, it is more the defence that is causing Coach Matarazzo problems. Similar to the upcoming opponents from the pot, VfB have only played to nil once this season. In as many as eight of the eleven cases, the bet on “both teams to score” would have gone through. Reason enough to focus on the odds on both teams to score on Saturday between Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart.
From the underdog’s point of view, the fact that they have not won in five games and are still waiting for their first win away from home this season makes the situation even more difficult. By comparison, Stuttgart had eleven points after five away games last year. Nevertheless, the Swabians remain a dangerous opponent. In Gladbach and at Eintracht Frankfurt, for example, Matarazzo’s team scored one point each.
The personnel situation has eased somewhat, as mentioned at the beginning. Silas could be back in the squad for the first time after his lengthy injury. Kempf and Mavropanos are also back after overcoming muscle complaints. Marmoush and Führich, however, are question marks. Youngsters Ahamada, Millot, Kalajdzic and Sankoh will definitely be missing.
Predicted line-up of VfB Stuttgart:
F. Müller – Mavropanos, Anton, Kempf – Karazor, W. Endo, Sosa – P. Förster, Mangala – Didavi – Coulibaly
Last matches played by VfB Stuttgart:
Friendly club matches
11/10 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 1 – 0 FC Zurich
1st Bundesliga
11/06 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 1 Arminia Bielefeld
10/31 2021 – Augsburg 4 – 1 VfB Stuttgart
DFB Cup
10/27 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 2 1. FC Köln
1st Bundesliga
10/24 2021 – VfB Stuttgart 1 – 1 Union Berlin
Dortmund – VfB Stuttgart Direct comparison / H2H balance
Did you know that VfB Stuttgart only won more often against Eintracht Frankfurt (42) than against BVB (40) in the Bundesliga? And at the same time, Dortmund only suffered more defeats against record champions Bayern than against the Swabians? Nevertheless, this statistic, which is primarily based on the glorious Swabian first division past, should not be overestimated. Of the last 13 encounters between these teams, Borussia left the pitch as the winner on ten occasions.
Dortmund – VfB Stuttgart Tip
Under Peter Bosz, Borussia Dortmund last conceded three competitive match defeats in a row in 2017. Should a bet on the Swabians’ first away win of the current season pay off on Saturday afternoon between Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart, it would also be Marco Rose’s third defeat in a row. However, no one is thinking that far ahead at the moment, especially since BVB is a real power at home.
The Black and Yellows have already celebrated ten Bundesliga home victories in a row. In the current season alone, they have already won six matches at home, although only one of these victories was by zero. In general, goalkeeper Kobel has conceded at least one goal in nine of eleven league games. There is a lot to suggest that this will not change against his former employers.
Although the Swabians are not necessarily brimming with confidence after five consecutive games without a win, they certainly have the quality to pose problems for the already vulnerable BVB defence. Stuttgart have only failed to score three times this season. In eight of the eleven games, both teams scored.
That is one of the reasons why we are betting on both the home side and the visitors to score at least one goal in the match between Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart. With a little more risk, you can even consider betting on a BVB win with both teams scoring. The same bookmaker offers a lucrative 2.60 for this bet.
