Preview: Stuttgart vs. Hoffenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors, meanwhile, will make the trip sitting in sixth position in the table, despite losing two of their last three games.

Match preview

Stuttgart, on the other hand, have forgotten what defeat feels like, with their 3-0 victory away to Union Berlin last weekend extending their winning streak to six games.

Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring in the capital to increase his astonishing tally to 14 goals in eight league games so far this season, with late strikes from Silas and Deniz Undav adding further gloss to their side's victory, which kept Sebastian Hoeness's side in second spot.

For a team that only survived relegation by defeating Hamburger SV in a two-legged playoff in June, having also avoided finishing inside the relegation zone by a solitary point at the end of the previous season, this sudden upturn in form represents a remarkable turnaround.

Guirassy is already attracting plenty of attention from elsewhere - with rumours of a £15m release clause existing in his contract making plenty of lips salivate on the continent - but much of the credit belongs to Hoeness, who will be desperate to get one over on his former club on Saturday.

Indeed, this weekend's encounter at the Mercedes-Benz Arena will feature an interesting sub-plot on the sidelines, with both teams undertaking something resembling a managerial swap earlier this year.

Pellegrino Matarazzo led Stuttgart to promotion after taking charge of them in December 2019, before guiding them to a top-half finish in their first season back in the Bundesliga. However, a difficult ensuing campaign ultimately led to his sacking last October, before he was chosen as Hoffenheim's new manager in February earlier this year.

Like his forthcoming counterpart, Matarazzo inherited a difficult position with Die Kraichgauer occupying the relegation zone, but it took him a longer amount of time to turn things around. However, five wins from their final 10 games ultimately proved enough to comfortably extend their stay in the Bundesliga to a 16th successive season.

Any such fears of being involved in another relegation battle have been allayed by a strong start to the current campaign, but they were humbled by a 3-1 defeat at home to Eintracht Frankfurt last time out. Maximilian Beier had provided Hoffenheim with a perfect start by breaking the deadlock inside three minutes, but the visitors struck back with three goals before the break.

Matarazzo will be determined to return to winning ways while bursting his former club's expanding bubble at the weekend, especially as a victory would move them up to fifth place in the table, albeit potentially only temporarily with RB Leipzig hosting FC Koln later in the day.

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

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Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

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Team News

Stuttgart's collective feeling of invincibility hit a major roadblock when Guirassy suffered a minor hamstring issue against Union Berlin last weekend, with the Guinea forward potentially set to be ruled out until after the upcoming international break in November.

Former Brighton & Hove Albion striker Undav is likely to replace Guirassy from the outset, having scored three times from five substitute appearances for his new club. Silas will almost certainly join him from the outset in the hosts' attacking unit.

Fabian Bredlow and Nicolas Nartey are both ruled out through hip and knee issues, while Josha Vagnoman and Dan-Axel Zagadou are also doubtful.

Hoffenheim, meanwhile, will also remain without their own star forward as Andrej Kramaric is out with a thigh issue. Dennis Geiger, Stanley John, Ozan Kabak and Stanley Nsoki will also sit out of Saturday's trip due to their own injury problems.

As such, Matarazzo's options to change a losing side are severely limited, but Kevin Akpoguma could be called upon in the visitors' defence after they collapsed against Frankfurt last time out.

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

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

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Akpoguma, Brooks, Vogt; Kaderabek, Promel, Grillitsch, Stach, Skov; Weghorst, Beier

We say: Stuttgart 1-1 Hoffenheim

Both teams' firepower will almost certainly be blunted by missing their star strikers through injury, with Stuttgart likely to feel the absence of Guirassy in particular given his superb start to the season.

Their winning run surely has to come to an end sooner rather than later, and we believe that Hoffenheim have enough about them to avoid defeat on Saturday, with both managers set to be desperate to get one over on their former clubs.

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