Stuttgart vs. Leverkusen preview: Bayer try to bounce back
Following their midweek defeat in the first semi-final leg of the Europa League, tired Leverkusen travel to Stuttgart who are in dire need of points in the relegation race.
| Photo: Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
Stuttgart
With Bochum’s win over Augsburg, Stuttgart now sit in 17th place and are looking at relegation right in the face. They lost to Hertha last week and it doesn’t get any easier against a fast-paced Leverkusen side on Matchday 32.
Josha Vagnoman has surprisingly been a huge help in attack, with Borna Sosa swinging in crosses from the outside. Stuttgart last claimed a home victory versus Bayer in 2010, and with three matchdays remaining, they can’t afford to drop many more points.
In his presser, Sebastian Hoeneß stated, “Leverkusen are one of the strongest counter-attacking teams in Europe and have unbelievable pace. It’ll be important not to give the ball away cheaply and offer our opponents opportunities to intercept the ball.”
Team News
Konstantinos Mavropanos is out, but could make his return next week. Dan-Axel Zagadou is expected to play despite knee troubles, while Thomas Kastanaras likely won’t be available.
Leverkusen
Wolfsburg defeated Hoffenheim on Saturday to jump Leverkusen in the standings, leaving Bayer with more work to do for a Europa League spot. It’s been a difficult week for the company club who last lost to Köln in league play and couldn’t score against Roma midweek.
Xabi Alonso has stated that he will rotate players on Sunday, but it’s unclear who will give way. Jeremie Frimpong suffered a knock on Thursday, but he’s still expected to be a starting option this weekend.
At the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Florian Wirtz will play his 100th competitive game for Bayer.
Their trainer stated, “We will give everything in the second leg. But now the focus is on Stuttgart. It's an important game for us and also for VfB. We need to regenerate well so that we are ready for an intense match.“
Team News
It’s been confirmed that both Odilon Kossounou and Robert Andrich are out for the season. Patrik Schick, Karim Bellarabi and Andrey Lunez remain unavailable as well.