Bayern Munich vs. Stuttgart preview: A massive top three clash
Stuttgart are looking to claim their sixth straight competitive game without a loss, as they travel to 2nd-place Bayern in an exciting contest to finish Matchday 15.
Bayern Munich
Bayern aren’t playing their best football at the moment after narrowly escaping Manchester United midweek and a shocking 5-1 defeat on Matchday 14 to Frankfurt. It was Bayern’s worst loss in recent memory and the schedule doesn’t get any easier with in-form Stuttgart and an away trip to Wolfsburg to close out 2023.
Noussair Mazraoui and Kingsley Coman are both out on Sunday, but Thomas Tuchel hinted that Thomas Müller and Konrad Laimer could be their replacements. Harry Kane hasn’t scored in three straight games and all eyes will be on the battle between the world-class striker and Serhou Guirassy.
In his presser, Tuchel said, "(Stuttgart) are a very consistent side. Collectively, they are stronger than if you just consider the individuals in the team. They deserve to be where they are in the table. They are a very uniform team and they're flexible with regard to their tactics."
Team News
Matthijs de Ligt returned to team training this week and should be back on the bench this weekend. Mazraoui, Coman, Serge Gnabry, and Bouna Sarr are unavailable. Kane is questionable due to an illness.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart incredibly find themselves comfortably in the top four and have only suffered defeat once in their last seven games. Coming off games against Dortmund and Leverkusen, it doesn’t get any easier with an away trip to Bayern on Matchday 15.
Guirassy and Deniz Undav are expected to play in a front two with Chris Führich and Enzo Millot on the outside. Alexander Nübel will have his hands full on Sunday night against his parent club.
Former Bayern II trainer Sebastian Hoeneß said, “We have to be courageous, have confidence in ourselves, and be prepared to suffer – then we have a chance. Our recent results against Dortmund and Leverkusen have shown we’re capable of performing against top sides, but we can only do so if we push ourselves to the limit.”
Team News
Captain Waldemar Anton is expected to play on Sunday despite an illness this week. Hiroki Ito, Nikolas Nartey, and Roberto Massimo will all likely miss out.