Will the VfB offence remain a lukewarm wind?
The start to the new football year 2022 would certainly have been very different for those responsible at VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt. While the SGE remained without a win in the first three second-round matches for the first time since 2014/15, the Swabians are still waiting for their first goal after the winter break. Who has the edge in this clash between two teams with poor form?
If we look at the odds of the betting providers before the match between VfB Stuttgart and Frankfurt, it becomes clear that there is no clear favourite. The odds are relatively close, although the Hessians are given a slight advantage. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that Glasner’s team is in a much better position in the table. On the other hand, Eintracht have not lost any of their five most recent encounters against their upcoming opponents.
On a positive note for the home side, up to 10,000 spectators will be in attendance at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday afternoon. The return of one or two key players also gives hope that the second-last team in the standings can turn things around and that a prediction in favour of the hosts between VfB Stuttgart and Frankfurt may pay off after all.
VfB Stuttgart – statistics & current form
The air is getting thinner and thinner for VfB Stuttgart in the bottom of the table. In order to prepare for the relegation battle in the coming weeks and months, the Swabians used the short international break to move into a six-day training camp in Marbella, Spain. Admittedly, it is also urgently time to turn things around, as last year’s ninth-placed team is currently only in second-to-last place and thus in a direct relegation spot.
Particularly worrying is the current state of affairs in combination with the ongoing offensive lull. Not only has Matarazzo’s side picked up just one point from their last five games and consequently remained winless, but the fact that they have failed to score a goal of their own in the aforementioned five matchdays since mid-December underlines the seriousness of the situation in Bad Cannstatt.
Stuttgart’s offensive lull becomes a farce
The next setback is now looming at the weekend. For the first time since May 2016, they could suffer three consecutive Bundesliga home defeats. In addition, for the first time since February 2015, a third home game in the top flight without a goal is looming. Self-confidence has been dented, form is abysmal and the pressure to finally score is growing from week to week. Under these circumstances, betting on a home win for VfB Stuttgart against Frankfurt is therefore very risky.
VfB fans can at least hope for an end to the aforementioned goal barrage, as the home side has never scored more goals against any other team in Bundesliga history than against Eintracht (177).
In addition, the return of Silas is a positive sign. After his lengthy injury and a positive test, the coaching team trusts the French attacking player to play up to 60 minutes. Newcomer Tiago Tomas and the recently injured Borna Sosa are also definite options for the starting eleven. At the same time, the relegation candidates are relying on Sasa Kalajdzic finally finding his scoring touch again. The Austrian has already scored twelve times in the second half of the season (the highest number in the team), but is still waiting for his first goal of the season.
Predicted line-up of VfB Stuttgart:
F. Müller – Mavropanos, Anton, Ito – W. Endo, Mangala, Sosa – Silas, Tiago Tomas, Führich – Kalajdzic
Last matches played by VfB Stuttgart:
Friendly club matches
01/28 2022 – FK Rostov 1 – 2 VfB Stuttgart
1st Bundesliga
01/22 2022 – SC Freiburg 2 – 0 VfB Stuttgart
01/15 2022 – VfB Stuttgart 0 – 2 RB Leipzig
01/08 2022 – Greuther Fürth 0 – 0 VfB Stuttgart
12/19 2021 – 1. FC Köln 1 – 0 VfB Stuttgart
Frankfurt – Statistics & current form
Before the winter break, Frankfurt were still rushing from victory to victory and climbed up into the international rankings. Six of the past seven league games in 2021 were victorious for the Hessians. After the turn of the year, however, the top form has disappeared. From the first three encounters in 2022, only a single point was earned in Augsburg. They suffered defeats at home against Dortmund and Bielefeld.
From coach Oliver Glasner’s point of view, it is all the more pleasing that the team, currently in ninth place, will be playing away from home again this weekend. Only one of the last five games in an opponent’s stadium was lost. In the away table, the SGE is in a respectable fifth place. Only Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen have won more away from home than Eintracht, who have also picked up more points away from home (15) than in front of a home crowd (13).
Frankfurt better away than at home this season?!
With this in mind, it makes sense to take a closer look at the odds on an away win in the clash between VfB Stuttgart and Frankfurt, especially since the players from the Main metropolis have not lost any of their five most recent direct duels with the Swabians and are also much more willing to run. On average, the Frankfurt team marches six kilometres more than the Stuttgart team.
However, the tight personnel situation of the visitors should not be neglected. Coach Oliver Glasner will have to do without Filip Kostic and Daichi Kamada on Saturday. This could be a chance for new winter signing Ansgar Knauff, who has scored once in his nine Bundesliga appearances as a wild card for Borussia Dortmund – against the Swabians! Regardless of which players will be on the pitch this weekend, we think the forecast for an away win between Stuttgart and Frankfurt holds the most appealing value.
Predicted Frankfurt line-up:
Trapp – Tuta, Hasebe, Ndicka – Sow, Rode – Chandler, C. Lenz – Lindström – Borré, Paciencia
Last matches played by Frankfurt:
Friendly club matches
01/27 2022 – Mainz 05 0 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
1st Bundesliga
01/21 2022 – Eintracht Frankfurt 0 – 2 Arminia Bielefeld
01/16 2022 – Augsburg 1 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
01/08 2022 – Eintracht Frankfurt 2 – 3 Borussia Dortmund
12/18 2021 – Eintracht Frankfurt 1 – 0 Mainz 05
VfB Stuttgart – Frankfurt Direct comparison / H2H-balance
For the 98th time in total, the two clubs will face each other in Germany’s top division on Saturday. Stuttgart lead the direct comparison with 42 victories. Eintracht have celebrated 33 victories so far, while 22 matches have ended in draws. There was also no winner in the most recent three encounters.
The first leg ended 1-1 after a goalless first 78 minutes, with Filip Kostic and Omar Marmoush scoring. However, both players will not be available this time. The ex-Stuttgart player Kostic is down with a flu infection; Marmoush will play in the Africa Cup final with Egypt against Senegal at the weekend.
VfB Stuttgart – Frankfurt Tip
There is a lot at stake for VfB Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt in the direct duel on matchday 21. First and foremost, of course, both teams have set themselves the goal of celebrating their first three points in the 2022 calendar year. However, it is also a matter of picking up important points in the fight for the season’s goal. The Swabians need every point in the relegation battle, while the SGE is still aiming in the direction of international business.
In our eyes, Eintracht are favourites going into the match. This assessment is based primarily on the good away record of Glasner’s team (4-3-3) and the fact that the Adlerträger have not lost any of their last five matches against their upcoming opponents. In terms of form, self-conception and quality, the Hessians are also stronger at the moment.
A further complicating matters for the home side is the fact that they have failed to score a goal of their own in their last five league games and have therefore been without a goal or a three-goal win in the top flight since mid-December. It is therefore understandable that lower betting odds are offered on the SGE between VfB Stuttgart and Frankfurt.
However, in order to minimise the risk, we do not play the three-legged tie on the three-way market, but hedge it with the Draw No Bet. In the event of a draw, the stake is returned. Nevertheless, in the match VfB Stuttgart vs. Frankfurt the 1.82 for the bet on the success of the ninth in the table at the penultimate is absolutely respectable.
