Stuttgart vs. Wolfsburg preview: Can Die Schwaben escape from the bottom three?
Wolfsburg travel to face a desperate Stuttgart side that need to create some breathing room between themselves and the relegation zone on Matchday 25.
| Photo: Jeollo, Vfb-exklusiv.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Stuttgart
16th-place Stuttgart secured an important point last week against Frankfurt, but still have a lot of work on their plate as the season nears a close. They have won only once in their last 10 games and are the second-worst team of the Rückrunde thus far.
Maybe Stuttgart's new special diversity kit will be the difference on Saturday and give the home support something to cheer about. Borna Sosa’s creativity down the left wing will be emphasized, as he’ll be looking for anybody inside the box from a group that has struggled to consistently score goals.
Bruno Labbadia shared, “We’ll have to be patient on Saturday to get the better of VfL. We’ll be tested in all areas – both with and without the ball.”
Team News
Striker Serhou Guirassy is still missing with an adductor tear, while Pascal Stenzel and Enzo Millot are questionable.
Wolfsburg
With two decent draws in a row against Frankfurt and Union, Wolfsburg would love to get back in the win column and climb closer towards a return to Europe. They have a fairly doable remaining schedule with only one club left to play (Dortmund) who currently sit in the top four.
After ending 2022 on such a high, it’s still been a confusing 2023 with some head-scratching results. Maximilian Arnold is returning from suspension to sit ahead of a solid back line and behind in-form Patrick Wimmer.
Following their draw to Union, Nico Kovac said, “We played a great game today, both with and against the ball. Union pushed us hard, but we have to win clearly given the chances we had. I'm dissatisfied with the result because we dropped two points.”
Team News
Bartol Franjic, Luca Waldschmidt and Lukas Nmecha are out, as Nmecha continues an injury-riddled 2023.