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VfB Stuttgart – Borussia Dortmund
This weekend, the 28th matchday is on the agenda in the Bundesliga. On Saturday afternoon, there are two duels between teams in the relegation fight and in the championship fight. In Munich, the record champion receives TSG from Hoffenheim. 185 kilometres further west, VfB Stuttgart will then meet Borussia Dortmund.
VfB Stuttgart is still deep in the relegation battle. The Swabians currently occupy 16th place in the Bundesliga. New coach Sebastian Hoeneß, however, scored his first win in the league at the weekend. The Swabians won 3:2 in Bochum. On Wednesday, Stuttgart had already reached the semi-finals of the DFB Cup with a 1:0 win over Nuremberg.
BVB overcame its mini-crisis in the previous week. The Borussians won 2-1 at home against third-placed Union Berlin after two defeats in a row. Thanks to this win, Dortmund is still two points behind Bayern and remains in the hunt. Find out in our Stuttgart vs Dortmund betting tips whether the second-placed team can get back on track away from home in Swabia.
Stuttgart – Dortmund Info:
- Date & Time: 15.04.2023, 15:30 Uhr
- Game venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 28
- TV broadcast: Sky
Stuttgart Form & Balance Check
VfB Stuttgart are once again fighting against relegation to the 2. Bundesliga this season. A weak start with nine games without a win finally led to the sacking of coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. Interim coach Michael Wimmer initially stabilised the team somewhat.
But after the winter break, Bruno Labbadia took over before he had to leave again after the 0:3 against Union Berlin. Now Sebastian Hoeneß is on the sidelines and led VfB directly to the semi-finals of the DFB Cup. In the relegation battle, Stuttgart also earned an important 3-2 win over VfL Bochum last week to move up to 16th in the table.
New system
Many football experts and Stuttgart fans criticised ex-coach Labbadia for his tactical ideas. The 57-year-old stuck to his preferred 4-3-3 and had some players play in unfamiliar positions.
New coach Sebastian Hoeneß, on the other hand, relies on a three-man backline with two offensive track players. With Josha Vagnoman and Borna Sosa, VfB even has the ideal types of players in this position. Against Bochum, the plan worked out perfectly. Vagnoman scored the 3:1 with his head and Sosa had already prepared a goal beforehand.
Stuttgart facts & analysis
- New coach Sebastian Hoeneß with two wins in two games.
- The fourth weakest offence in the league
- Only two points ahead of bottom of the table Schalke
Dortmund form & balance check
The shortened first half of the season was more of a disappointment for Borussia Dortmund, as the team from the Ruhr region only finished sixth in the table after a number of setbacks. But in the new year, coach Edin Terzić’s team often put in a perfect performance, winning their first ten competitive matches in a row. Thanks to this impressive series, Dortmund briefly fought their way back to the top of the table.
However, after the Champions League and DFB Cup exits, as well as the defeat against Bayern, which caused Dortmund to slip back to second place, BVB found itself in a bit of a crisis. Last weekend, however, Borussia managed an important 2:1 victory against direct rivals Union Berlin.
Dortmund defence weakens
All in all, Borussia’s back line has been extremely solid this season. Dortmund conceded a total of just 36 goals in their first 27 league games. By comparison: At the same point in the previous season, two more goals were conceded.
Recently, however, BVB repeatedly made simple defensive mistakes. The Borussian defence has been shaky in recent games. Dortmund conceded at least one goal in each of the last seven matches. The long-term absence of central defender Nico Schlotterbeck is not helping the hole-ridden defence either.
Dortmund facts & analysis
- Currently second in the Bundesliga table
- First defeat in Bundesliga 2023
- Second best offense in the league
Predicted lineup – last updated April 13, 2023
Stuttgart will once again unpack the three-man backline against BVB. Josha Vagnoman and Borna Sosa are essential for the Swabians’ game in the two track positions. Serhou Guirassy will once again play up front.
Dortmund, on the other hand, will stick to their usual 4-3-3, and despite his goal against Union Berlin, we expect Youssoufa Moukoko to be on the bench again for the time being. It is unlikely that Marius Wolf will return after his absence due to illness. Nico Schlotterbeck trained individually again during the week, but will still miss a few weeks for BVB.
Stuttgart – Dortmund direct comparison & Statistics
Dortmund easily leads the direct comparison with Stuttgart. The Borussians won 48 of the 115 duels with VfB. The Swabians, on the other hand, only walked off the field as winners 43 times against BVB. The first leg between the two rivals ended with a clear 5:0 for Dortmund.
- Both teams are separated by 33 points in the league.
- Stuttgart’s last home win against Dortmund in the Bundesliga was in 2017.
- Did you know that Stuttgart score 24% of their goals between the 76-90 minute mark?
- Dortmund have failed to score in 3 of their 14 away games in the Bundesliga this season
