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Bayer Leverkusen vs. VfB Stuttgart
This weekend, the Bundesliga enters its final matchday before the World Cup break. Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart will face off in a duel between two teams that would certainly have imagined their first half of the season to be more successful. Both have spent most of the last few months in the bottom of the table and therefore still need every point. The game kicks off on Saturday at 15:30 at the BayArena in Leverkusen, and you can find our prediction in the following Leverkusen vs Stuttgart tip.
Leverkusen have recently managed to pull away from the relegation zone with two wins in a row. With 15 points from 14 games, Bayer are currently in 13th place, four points clear of the relegation zone. Stuttgart follow in 15th place with one point less, while VfB overtook the Berliners with their latest win against Hertha and thus left the relegation zone.
Leverkusen – Stuttgart info:
– Date & Time: 12.11.2022, 15:30 hrs.
– Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen
– Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 15
– TV broadcast: Sky
Leverkusen Form & Balance Check
Leverkusen have finally been able to break free somewhat in recent games. After the setbacks of the last few weeks with the Champions League exit and a whole six winless games in a row, a sense of achievement was desperately needed. On the last matchday, the Werkself celebrated only their second win under Xabi Alonso with an impressive 5-0 victory over former league leaders Union Berlin, and the hope for the longed-for knot loosener was immense.
Weak start in Cologne
During the week, it was off to the derby against Cologne. In the cathedral city, Bayer were again lethargic in the first half and deservedly trailed 0:1 after a dream goal by Benno Schmitz. It was only after the break that Leverkusen slowly woke up and equalised through substitute Nadiem Amiri. A little later, Moussa Diaby and Jeremy Frimpong finished off a brilliant counter-attack, and the Werkself were able to celebrate a happy 2-1 victory. The third win in a row is to follow against Stuttgart at the weekend.
Leverkusen facts & analysis
– 13th place in the Bundesliga, 15 points from 14 games.
– Last win 1:2 in Cologne
– 2nd win in a row
Stuttgart form & balance check
VfB Stuttgart can breathe a sigh of relief for the first time this season. After nine winless games at the start of the league, Pellegrino Matarazzo had to end his basically successful tenure and his former assistant Michael Wimmer will coach the Swabians until the winter break. So far, this experiment has been quite successful. Stuttgart have won four of their six games under Wimmer, including three important league victories against direct rivals Bochum, Augsburg and Berlin.
Mavropanos becomes matchwinner
VfB can cope with the interim defeats against Dortmund and Gladbach, plus the clear and convincing victory in the cup against Bielefeld. During the week, the team faced Hertha BSC in the basement. Serhou Guirassy gave Stuttgart an early lead after just three minutes, but Dodi Lukebakio equalised just a little later. Despite Stuttgart’s superiority, the score remained 1-1 until stoppage time, but then VfB struck another lucky punch. After a corner, it was Konstantinos Mavropanos’ header that finally brought the Swabians a jubilant 2-1 victory.
Stuttgart facts & analysis
– 15th place in the Bundesliga, 14 points from 14 games.
– Last win 2:1 against Hertha
– Still without a win away from home this season
Predicted line-up – last update on 10 November 2022
Alonso will have to do without the suspended Andrich against Stuttgart, while the stricken Schick and Aranguiz are also still questionable. Amiri could come in for Hudson-Odoi, Hlozek or Palacios. Sinkgraven, Tah and Adli are further options, while Wirtz and Azmoun are likely to be missing again.
On the other side, Mavropanos, who scored the winning goal, will also have to miss the match due to suspension, with Vagnoman, Stenzel and Zagadou as alternatives. Endo is also out after his head injury and will be replaced by Karazor. Egloff, Millot and Pfeiffer are options in the offensive should Führich not be fit in time.
Leverkusen – Stuttgart direct comparison & statistics
Leverkusen and Stuttgart have already met 85 times. Bayer have a clear lead with 42 victories, while VfB have won 23 games. A further 20 games ended in a draw. The Swabians have also not won against the Werkself in seven competitive matches, and the last three league games against Bayer were all lost.
– The most frequent result between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart is 2-0. 7 matches ended like this.
– Last season Bayer Leverkusen won both matches against VfB Stuttgart (4-2 at home and 3-1 away).
– The average number of goals scored in a Bayer Leverkusen vs VfB Stuttgart clash is 4.4.
– The average number of goals scored in the first half in matches between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart is 1.4.
– Both teams won their last match in Bundesliga.
