Two teams involved in the Bundesliga relegation battle will compete on Sunday as Stuttgart host Hertha Berlin at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Just a single point separates them right now, while only goal difference is keeping the home side out of the bottom four, making this a crucial fixture.
Match preview
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Despite the difficult season that Stuttgart are having at the moment, their form has improved as of late, having picked up two victories in their past three performances.
Considering the fact they have only won one other game within this campaign it is a drastic change for them and something they shall be aiming to continue on Sunday.
Stuttgart's most recent outing resulted in three points for the club as they defeated Mainz 2-1 thanks to goals from Hiroki Ito and Borna Sosa.
Finding the back of the net has not been a problem for Pellegrino Matarazzo's team this season, as they have scored more than all of those in the relegation battle with them.
However, they have not been able to defend them well enough, but right now it is only goal difference keeping them out of the bottom four, which showcases the importance of scoring for them.
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Hertha Berlin have not been as strong offensively, but they do have one more victory than Stuttgart this season and they sit a single point above them right now.
A defeat on Sunday still has the potential of sinking them into the relegation zone, yet at the same time, a victory could allow them to climb to 13th and possibly be just a point behind eighth.
That is how tight things are right now, but the squad have struggled for victories as of late, having failed to win in any of their previous four matches.
However, they have been able to consistently pick up points, which was the case last weekend when they drew 1-1 with Augsburg, although it was a result that Pal Dardai will have been frustrated with.
His team had taken the lead through Marco Richter and the squad were close to seeing that out until a 97th-minute goal from Michael Gregoritsch caused late drama.
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Team News
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Stuttgart will be able to welcome back Tanguy Coulibaly at the weekend after his suspension comes to an end which will be a welcome situation for the club.
Right now Matarazzo is dealing with a lengthy injury list, including Sasa Kalajdzic who has missed the majority of the season at this point, while Atakan Karazor was able to come back last weekend.
While Chris Fuhrich is nearing a return to full fitness, the club are still without Marc-Oliver Kempf, Erik Thommy, Naouirou Ahamada, Enzo Millot and Mohamed Sankoh.
The visitors will welcome back club captain Dedryck Boyata following his three-game suspension and he is expected to simply slot back into the backline for them.
Another player that is due back soon is Stevan Jovetic.
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Muller; Mavropanos, Anton, Ito; Sosa, Karazor, Endo, Massimo; Forster, Mangala; Marmoush
Hertha Berlin possible starting lineup:
Schwolow; Stark, Boyata, Plattenhardt; Pekarik, Ascacibar, Serdar, Mittelstadt; Richter, Ekkelenkamp; Belfodil
We say: Stuttgart 1-2 Hertha Berlin
This is a crucial game for both teams who desperately need three points in order to start pushing away from the relegation zone, which should make it a closely contested match.
While Stuttgart will likely find the back of the net due to their attacking qualities, the recent form would suggest that Hertha Berlin should end up edging this one.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Stuttgart win with a probability of 51.18%. A win for Hertha Berlin had a probability of 24.88% and a draw had a probability of 23.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Stuttgart win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.12%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.66%) and 2-0 (8.65%). The likeliest Hertha Berlin win was 0-1 (6.63%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.31%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.4% likelihood.
