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VfB Stuttgart vs. VfL Wolfsburg
In the Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart suffered the next bitter setback in their fight to stay in the relegation zone. The Swabians lost 0:2 in Berlin last Sunday and are now four points behind the Old Lady. Even coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team is in 16th place and still two points ahead of Bielefeld, who are in the first direct relegation spot. Yes, Bielefeld are not scoring either, but relying on the inability of a direct competitor in the relegation battle is tantamount to a suicide mission. Stuttgart must score. With Wolfsburg, the Swabians expect a team that won clearly on the last matchday.
The Wolves were able to make up for the 1:6 defeat in Dortmund. Coach Florian Kohfeldt’s team won 5:0 against FSV Mainz 05 and thus showed a clear and successful reaction to the previous negative experience. If Wolfsburg score in Stuttgart, they will be mathematically guaranteed to stay in the relegation zone. Find out in our Stuttgart – Wolfsburg betting tip whether the Lower Saxons will be able to score in Swabia.
Stuttgart – Wolfsburg Info:
– Date & Time: 30.04.2022, 15:30 Uhr
– Venue: Stuttgart, Mercedes-Benz Arena
– Competition: Bundesliga, 32nd matchday
– TV broadcast: Sky Sport Bundesliga
Stuttgart Form & Balance Check
VfB Stuttgart should by no means rely on Arminia Bielefeld. Three matchdays before the end of the season, the Swabians are in the relegation place, which they can save for the time being, and still or only two points ahead of the 17th place in the table. If VfB lose on Saturday and Bielefeld score against Hertha, coach Matarazzo’s team would slip into even greater danger of relegation. The 0:2 defeat was the fourth winless game in a row. Moreover, it was the third party in a row in which Stuttgart failed to score a goal.
Winless April
Since the 3-2 home win over FC Augsburg, Stuttgart have been waiting for their seventh win of the season. Although VfB are in the relegation place, the last time the Swabians had to play a relegation match, Stuttgart were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. What are Stuttgart’s hopes now? After all, the last three points came in their own stadium. The most recent home game, however, was a 2-0 loss to BVB. Nevertheless, VfB have won 18 of their 28 points at home so far. If Matarazzo’s side do not win on Saturday, VfB will be winless for more than a month.
Stuttgart facts & analysis
– Stuttgart are 16th in the table with 28 points.
– The Swabians have not won 4 games in a row
– VfB have not scored a goal for three games
Wolfsburg form & balance check
VfL Wolfsburg are nine points clear of the relegation places. Only mathematically, the class preservation is not yet final. The Wolves are also experiencing a mixed April with ups and downs. In Augsburg, the Wolves lost surprisingly clearly with 0:3. Coach Kohfeldt’s team corrected this result in the following match against Bielefeld and swept Arminia off the pitch with 4:0. However, Wolfsburg itself was then humiliated by Dortmund with 1:6. But last week, VfL again gave a promising response to that defeat, winning 5-0 against Mainz.
Wolves don’t bite away
One reason for VfL Wolfsburg’s disappointing season is their performance away from home so far. The Wolves recently lost three away games in a row and last scored as guests on 26 February. Wolfsburg’s last win came on 12 February with a 2-0 victory in Frankfurt. The VfL have only won four of their 15 matches as visiting team so far. With only 14 points, Wolfsburg are in 11th place in the away table. In addition, the Lower Saxons have a significantly negative goal ratio of 16:32 away from home.
Wolfsburg facts & analysis
– Wolfsburg are 12th in the table with 37 points.
– VfL lost 3 away games in a row
– Most recently, the Wolves won 5-0 against Mainz
Predicted line-up – last update on 28 April 2022
Against Hertha BSC, right-back Stenzel had to leave the pitch early. He pulled a muscle in his abdominal muscles and is out. Likewise, Ahamada (fractured toe), Meyer (torn meniscus), Silas (shoulder dislocation), Sankoh (knee injury) and Nartey (free joint body in the knee) will miss the game injured. Despite the inadequate results, coach Pellegrino Matarazzo will not deviate from his 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 system. For Stenzel, Mavropanos could play on the right. Ito would take his place in central defence. Ito would be replaced by Karazor on the six. It is not impossible that Matarazzo will make further changes.
Coach Florian Kohfeldt played an offensive 4-3-3 system against FSV Mainz. Time and again, the two wingers Kruse and Wind moved into the centre of the attack and thus knew how to surprise the Mainz defence. It is likely that the Wolves will again use this approach. Looking at the personnel, Waldschmidt (ankle problems), Otavio (cruciate ligament tear), William (knee injury) and van den Wen (muscle injury in the thigh) will be out injured.
Stuttgart – Wolfsburg direct comparison & Statistics
Stuttgart and Wolfsburg have already met 51 times. In this duel, Stuttgart earned the more positive record. The VfB won 24 games, whereas the Wolves could only win 20 encounters. A further seven meetings ended in a draw. The last encounter was whistled 2:0 for Stuttgart.
– Wolfsburg won the last encounter in Stuttgart with 3:1.
– Max Kruse will make his 300th Bundesliga appearance against Stuttgart.
– Stuttgart last played to nil at home on 4 April 2021 – ongoing club negative record.
– If Stuttgart win, the Swabians would win both games of a season against Wolfsburg for the first time since the 2005/06 season.
