Preview: Stuttgart vs. Borussia Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

Stuttgart were beaten 2-0 by Heidenheim last weekend, while Dortmund lost 4-0 at home to Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker.

Match preview

Having began the season in stunning fashion by claiming 21 points from a possible 24, Stuttgart have crashed back down to Earth in recent weeks, with Hoffenheim and Heidenheim inflicting successive league defeats on Die Schwaben.

There was a home victory against Union Berlin in the DFB-Pokal sandwiched in between those league losses, and given that they remain third in the table after 10 matches, Stuttgart's fanbase can still have very few complaints about how their side's campaign has began given that they have generally been fighting against relegation in recent years.

Both sides struggled to break the deadlock at Voith-Arena last weekend, with Heidenheim posting 17 shots to Stuttgart's tally of 19 across the course of the encounter, but late goals from Jan Schoppner and Tim Kleindienst handed the newly-promoted side a crucial win in the end.

Of course, it is no surprise that Stuttgart's downturn in results have coincided with Serhou Guirassy's hamstring injury. The 27-year-old bagged 14 goals in eight league games prior to being withdrawn against Union Berlin during his side's 3-0 win in the capital last month, so even a club possessing greater depth than Stuttgart would miss a striker of that quality.

However, given that Guirassy reportedly has a release clause around the £15m mark within his contract, the Guinea striker's absence from Stuttgart's starting lineup could become a permanent issue in the near future. Having scored five goals in five games prior to the defeat to Heidenheim, former Brighton & Hove Albion forward Deniz Undav will be hoping to rediscover his shooting boots this weekend as he looks to fill his teammate's sizeable void.

November has resembled much more of a rollercoaster ride for Dortmund, who have boosted their hopes of winning the DFB-Pokal and reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League, but on the flipside lost further ground on the top two in the Bundesliga.

Indeed, BVB were thrashed 4-0 by Bayern at Signal Iduna Park, with Harry Kane helping himself to a hat-trick in his first appearance in Der Klassiker. Dayot Upamecano had provided the visitors with the lead after only four minutes, helping them remain two points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who moved seven points clear of Stuttgart and Dortmund by beating Hoffenheim.

Edin Terzic's side also got the better of Hoffenheim to reach the third round of the DFB-Pokal, which they will be targeting as a realistic trophy to win with Bayern and holders RB Leipzig both already knocked out of the competition. Perhaps more significantly, Dortmund completed a double over Newcastle United to move top of Group F in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Goals from Niclas Fullkrug and Julian Brandt either side of half time helped the hosts claim a deserved victory, which puts them in a strong position to progress from this season's 'Group of Death'. However, they still have to travel to AC Milan before hosting Paris Saint-Germain on the final matchday, so there is plenty of work still to be done.

In the meantime, Terzic and his players will be hoping to sneak back into their domestic title picture by beating Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach either side of the upcoming international break, before an incredibly difficult run of fixtures begins for them on three fronts.

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Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

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Team News

Stuttgart are expected to remain without Guirassy due to his hamstring issue, but the 27-year-old should be fit and firing for his side's trip to Eintracht Frankfurt after the international break. Undav will continue to deputise for him in attack.

Nicolas Nartey is still sidelined due to a knee issue, with Pascal Stenzel also doubtful due to a thigh strain. Enzo Millot could earn a recall at the expense of Jeong Woo-yeong, who has struggled to make an impact since joining from Freiburg in the summer.

Dortmund, meanwhile, may need to make a few changes after enduring a busy period of fixtures in recent weeks. Club captain Marco Reus was only used from the bench against Newcastle, while Donyell Malen was rested entirely, so those two could come in for Salih Ozcan and Karem Adeyemi in order to freshen up the visitors' attack.

Julian Duranville, Emre Can, Mateu Morey and Marius Wolf are expected to remain sidelined through injury, but Ramy Bensebaini could be called upon at left-back, allowing Julian Ryerson to switch to his favoured right side.

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Rouault, Anton, Zagadou, Ito; Karazor, Stiller; Silas, Millot, Fuhrich; Undav

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Nmecha; Malen, Reus, Brandt; Fullkrug

We say: Stuttgart 1-2 Borussia Dortmund

Stuttgart's surprisingly excellent start to the season was always likely to come to an end as soon as Guirassy was ruled out through injury for a period of time, and if he is unable to return on Saturday, we expect Dortmund to return to winning ways in the Bundesliga.

Terzic's side showed excellent resolve to bounce back from their humiliation in Der Klassiker by beating Newcastle in the Champions League in midweek, and they will know that they cannot afford to drop any more unnecessary points if they are to have any realistic hopes of catching Leverkusen and Bayern at the summit.

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