Stuttgart vs Schalke 04 preview: Two winless sides go head-to-head
After failing to win any of their respective opening four games, Stuttgart and Schalke will look to claim their first victory of the Bundesliga season when they face off on Saturday.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart's opening four league matches have been dominated by draws, with three of those contests finishing all square.
After a late Werder Bremen equaliser denied them three points on matchday two, Stuttgart have struggled to respond, losing 1-0 to Freiburg before playing out a goalless draw with FC Köln last weekend.
After failing to score in their last two matches, Stuttgart will need other members of the squad to contribute following the departure of Sasa Kalajdzic, who joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.
Stuttgart do not have time to ponder Kalajdzic's departure as they turn their attention to Saturday's contest where they will look to claim their first win of the Bundesliga season.
Including last season, Pellegrino Matarazzo's side have won only one of their previous 11 Bundesliga matches, and Stuttgart need an improvement in results if they are to avoid another relegation battle this term.
Team News
Nikolas Nartey and Tanguy Coulibaly are sidelined for the hosts, while Luca Pfeiffer is suspended after being sent off last weekend.
Schalke 04
Schalke enter Saturday's encounter with two points to their name, with the hosts looking for a response after being thrashed 6-1 by Union Berlin last weekend.
Marius Bülter cancelled out Morten Thorsby's opener, but Union wasted no time retaking the lead through Sheraldo Becker before they added four more goals to the total to claim a comfortable victory.
The heavy defeat leaves Schalke in the relegation playoff place ahead of the weekend, but they can move up the table and above their opponents with a victory on Saturday.
However, if they are to claim a positive result against Stuttgart, they will need to improve defensively after conceding at least two goals in three of their league games this term.
They are also looking to end a dismal away run in the Bundesliga after failing to win any of their previous 30 Bundesliga away games, while eight of their last nine top-flight away matches have resulted in defeat.
Team News
Sepp van den Berg and Kenan Karaman joined the club this week, and the pair could be included in Saturday's squad, although Justin Heekeren is unavailable due to an injury issue.