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Match facts
BVB’s 36 goals scored from 13 league games this season is their second-best goals haul at this stage of the season. They only bagged more across the opening 13 matchdays in their first ever top-flight campaign in 1963/64 (41).
Stuttgart have conceded 31 goals from their 13 BL games and have therefore set an unwanted club record. No other side in the top five European leagues has conceded as many goals as VfB.
A 4-0 defeat to Bayern was followed by a 4-0 defeat to FC Augsburg last weekend, the first time in their history that the Swabians have suffered successive defeats by that scoreline.
Dortmund have scored 45 goals at an average of over four in their 11 home games under Thomas Tuchel this season.
Tuchel started his coaching career in the Stuttgart youth set-up in 2000.
Stuttgart have had more shots on goal this season than Dortmund (217 compared to 211), with only Bayern having more efforts on goal.
Dortmund have scored more than twice as many goals as Stuttgart (36 compared to 17).
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored in Dortmund’s last seven home games stretching back to last season.
Possible Line-ups
Dortmund: Bürki – Ginter, Sokratis, Hummels, Schmelzer – Weigl, Gündogan, Mkhitaryan, Kagawa, Castro – Aubameyang
Stuttgart: Tyton – Klein, Baumgartl, Sunjic, Insua – Die – Schwaab, Gentner – Didavi – Maxim, Werner
Jurgen Kramny will look to use the pace of effective attacking players like Daniel Didavi, Timo Werner and Filip Kostic while playing on the counter, to get the advantage of Dortmund’s recent defensive frailties, while on the other hand Thomas Tuchel will be asking his side to give a response after a disappointing week.
Borussia Dortmund will look to pile up the pressure on leaders Bayern and at the same time keep hold of the 2nd position with Wolfsburg just around the neck while Stuttgart will seek at least a point to help them getting out from the drop zone.
Stuttgart can’t be counted off, but it is ever so hard for die schwabean to snatch a victory against a Dortmund side, coveting for a much-needed win and Jurgen Kramny’s Stuttgart side will have to be the unwilling victim of their projected onslaught this weekend.
Predicted Score : Borussia Dortmund 2:1 VfB Stuttgart
