Stuttgart could move into the top two in the Bundesliga standings when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt at the MHPArena on Saturday evening.
The hosts are on 60 points after 28 games and are level with Bayern Munich in second place, while the visitors are sixth and currently on 42 points, six points clear of seventh-placed Augsburg.
Match preview
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Stuttgart have been one of the biggest surprise packages in the Bundesliga this season, and they will have the chance to take another massive step toward securing a Champions League qualification spot if they manage a win over Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend.
Die Roten are enjoying their best season in the top flight and currently have an identical record to Bayern Munich with 19 wins, three draws and six losses this term, trailing the Bavarians only on goal difference, while holding a seven-point advantage over fourth-placed RB Leipzig.
Sebastian Hoeness's side drew level with Bayern last weekend when they claimed a 1-0 win over rivals Borussia Dortmund, extending their current unbeaten run in the league to 10 games, including eight wins and two draws, which is their joint-longest unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga since 2011-12.
Serhou Guirassy netted his 24th goal of the season in the win against BVB - the Guinean forward has now found the target in each of his last five games and is the second-highest in the league's scoring charts in 2023-24.
Stuttgart won the reverse fixture 2-1 at Deutsche Bank Park and will head into this contest brimming with confidence, having avoided defeat in each of their last nine league games at MHPArena dating back to November last year.
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Meanwhile, Eintracht Frankfurt are still in the race for the European qualification spots, but they need to get back to winning ways soon or they could find themselves caught by the likes of Augsburg and Hoffenheim, who are just two wins behind them.
Die Adler will be out to avoid a fourth consecutive league match without a win here, following a 3-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund and back-to-back draws against Union Berlin and Werder Bremen in their last two outings.
Against Die Werderaner, Tuta pulled Frankfurt level after they went behind to a Milos Veljkovic opener in the second half, but the Brazilian's night ended on a sour note as he was sent off just moments before the final whistle.
The major issue for Dino Toppmoller's side this season has been their tendency to leave points on the table, as they have recorded the most drawn matches in the league this season (12), including five in their last 10 games.
Notably, the visitors have failed to win any of their last five league matches that have taken place on a Saturday evening while Stuttgart have won each of their last five games played on a Saturday evening.
Team News
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Stuttgart have maintained their solid form despite missing several first-team regulars and will look to continue in that vein with as many as six players likely to miss out this weekend as well.
Among the absentees are Dan-Axel Zagadou, Samuele di Benedetto and Josha Vagnoman, all of whom are likely to remain sidelined for the remainder of the season due to injuries.
Alexander Nubel is out for the foreseeable future with muscle injury, which should see Fabian Bredlow continue between the sticks for the hosts, while Anthony Rouault and Nikolas Nartey are expected to return to action by the end of the month.
Tuta will begin his three-match ban here for the red card he received last time out and he will be joined on the sideline by Eric Ebimbe, who is also suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Sasa Kalajdzic is done for the season owing to a cruciate ligament tear, while Sebastian Rode (knee), Ellyes Skhiri (calf) and Hugo Ekitike (groin) are also ruled out for this weekend's clash with injuries.
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Bredlow; Stergiou, Anton, Ito, Mittelstadt; Millot, Karazor, Stiller, Fuhrich; Guirassy, Undav
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Collins, Koch, Pacho; Buta, Larsson, Gotze, Max; Knauff, Chaibi; Marmoush
We say: Stuttgart 3-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Stuttgart are enjoying their best-ever season in the top flight up to this point and are carrying all the momentum, having avoided defeat in 10 consecutive league games.
Die Roten are also unbeaten in their last nine games at home, including six wins, and we feel they will be able to add to that tally with another victory in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
