Will the Rhinelanders send VfB into a full-blown crisis?
For the first time since VfB Stuttgart returned to the Beletage of German football in the summer of 2020, the Swabians are once again deep in the relegation battle. On the twelfth matchday, the white and red team suffered its third defeat in a row and slipped down to 16th place. Now they have to try to reverse the trend against Rheinhessen, who are in good form.
FSV have not lost any of their last four league games and thus currently hold the longest unbeaten streak in league play of all 18 Bundesliga teams. Accordingly, in the run-up to the match between VfB Stuttgart and Mainz, the odds of the bookmakers also swing in the direction of the guests.
It should be noted, however, that the Swabians have not only won their last two league games in a row against the Nullfünfer. VfB also always scored a goal of their own in all previous Bundesliga home games against Mainz. Nevertheless, given the Baden-Württemberger’s form crisis, it seems unlikely that a good result will be achieved again against Rheinhessen, who are strong in form and defence.
We find the much greater value in VfB Stuttgart vs. Mainz in the tip that the guests can take the three points from the Mercedes-Benz Arena, which could even see the Swabians slip into a relegation spot.
VfB Stuttgart – Statistics & current form
As five-time German champions (most recently in 2007) and three-time overall winners of the DFB Cup (most recently in 1997), it is naturally part of VfB Stuttgart’s ambition not only to be represented in the Bundesliga, but perhaps even to compete for a place in international business.
The Swabians were able to achieve precisely this goal in the 2020/21 season as a promoted team, when in the end they finished ninth in the final table, just five points short of participation in European competition.
The hospital remains full throughout
Now, however, the movement games club is in the complicated second year that has doomed many a promoted team after a strong first season. Many key players like Nicolás González and Gregor Kobel left.
On top of that, the white-and-red team is pretty full. In addition to five certain absences – including important players like Sasa Kalajdzic, Erik Thommy, Enzo Millot and the suspended Tanguy Coulibaly – there are still question marks over several names. Accordingly, the starting eleven could practically put itself together.
Without a win for six games in a row
Meanwhile, the fact that Pellegrino Matarazzo has rarely been able to draw from a full bench is also reflected in the results. The Baden-Württemberger have not won any of their last six competitive matches and have suffered four defeats in a row. In addition to the cup defeat, VfB lost three league games, which pushed them down to the relegation zone.
In view of this slump and the recent haul of just two points out of a possible 15 from the last five games, the White and Reds go into matchday 13 as underdogs.
Predicted line-up of VfB Stuttgart:
Müller – Sosa – Ito – Anton – Mavropanos – Karazor – Endo – Mangala – Massimo – Förster – Marmoush
Last matches played by VfB Stuttgart:
1st Bundesliga
11/20 2021 – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 1 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
Mainz – Statistics & current form
After a phenomenal second half of the 2020/21 season, in which Bo Svensson led the Rheinhessen side from a hopeless position to a spectacular relegation place, 1. FSV Mainz 05 got off to a remarkably good start.
The Nullfünfer picked up ten of a possible 15 points from their first five league games, before three successive defeats brought the Red and Whites rudely back down to earth.
The longest unbeaten Bundesliga side
But instead of letting themselves be thrown off course, Mainz immediately redeemed themselves and, after the aforementioned three defeats, remained undefeated in five consecutive league games.
FSV thus punched their ticket to the last 16 of the DFB Pokal and took eight points from a possible twelve in league play.
As the eighth-placed team in the table, the Rheinhessen side is not only clearly looking upwards. They are also the Bundesliga team with the longest unbeaten streak of all 18 teams. Bo Svensson’s team will come to the Mercedes-Benz Arena in correspondingly good form.
Solid and reliable points against the “little ones” of the league
The sovereign manner in which FSV have reliably scored against supposedly smaller opponents since the successful Danish coach took the reins at the Mainz club at the beginning of the year speaks for itself.
Six times so far, the Nullfünfer have played an opponent who, at the time of the match, was in one of the last three places in the table. In all six cases, the red and white team scored (three wins, three draws). The odds on VfB Stuttgart against Mainz being the seventh time in this constellation are therefore correspondingly good.
Predicted line-up of Mainz:
Zentner – Niakhaté – Hack – Nemeth – Aaron – Barreiro – Widmer – Boetius – Stach – Burkardt – Onisiwo
Last matches played by Mainz:
1st Bundesliga
11/21 2021 – Mainz 05 1 – 1. FC Köln
11/05 2021 – Mainz 05 1 – 1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
10/30 2021 – Arminia Bielefeld 1 – 2 Mainz 05
DFB Cup
10/26 2021 – Mainz 05 3 – 2 Arminia Bielefeld
1st Bundesliga
10/22 2021 – Mainz 05 4 – 1 Augsburg
VfB Stuttgart – Mainz Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 12 – 6 – 12
The two teams have met 30 times and their record is completely balanced with twelve wins each. After four defeats in a row, VfB got the maximum out of the Nullfünfer last season, winning both the first and second legs.
VfB Stuttgart – Mainz Tip
When it comes to VfB Stuttgart against Mainz, the forecast has to take into account that things have been anything but smooth for a Swabia team that is short of substitutes lately. VfB have lost all of their last four competitive matches and have thus been waiting for another win since 2 October 2021. Now, of all times, the Bundesliga’s best-formed team is visiting the Mercedes-Benz Arena. No Bundesliga team has been unbeaten longer than the Rheinhessen side.
Apartly because Pellegrino Matarazzo does not have too many options, VfB should be easy for the in-form Mainz side to calculate. Against this background, there is a lot of value in betting that FSV can take the three points from Baden-Württemberg.
