Stuttgart vs. Heidenheim preview: Hosts looking to continue unbeaten run
Stuttgart will attempt to extend their unbeaten run to eight Bundesliga matches when they face Heidenheim on Sunday.
| Photo: Jeollo, VfB-exklusiv.de, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Stuttgart
Stuttgart are closing in on Champions League qualification after collecting 56 points from their 26 matches. As a result, die Schwaben are sitting in third spot and six points clear of RB Leipzig in fifth position.
Sebastian Hoeneß will be hoping his side can pick up from where they left off before the international break, having seen his team win seven of their last eight league games (D1). After being held to a Köln 1-1 draw last month, Stuttgart have gone on to put together a three-game winning run, which began with a 3-2 victory against Wolfsburg. They then dispatched Union Berlin via a 2-0 scoreline before they cruised to a 3-0 win against Hoffenheim in their most recent outing.
Stuttgart will be hoping to continue their fine run of form on Sunday when the MHP Arena becomes the first stadium to host 1,000 Bundesliga matches. They have certainly enjoyed themselves on home turf, winning 10 of their 13 home league matches this season (D2, L1).
Team News
The hosts are expected to be without Hiroki Ito, Anthony Rouault, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Samuele di Benedetto, Nikolas Nartey and Fabian Bredlow. Meanwhile, there are also doubts over the availability of Atakan Karazor and Enzo Millot.
Heidenheim
Heidenheim may have been grateful for the two-week break after experiencing a disappointing spell of form prior to the international period. Frank Schmidt’s side have failed to win any of their last five matches, contributing to a poor run of results which has seen them collect just one victory in their previous 10 matches. They at least managed to avoid a third consecutive defeat in their most recent game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Eren Dinkçi scored a 66th-minute equaliser to help his side claim a precious point.
Although wins are proving hard to come by, Heidenheim are still well set to avoid relegation in their first-ever Bundesliga campaign. Having picked up 29 points from 26 matches, they are currently sitting in 11th spot and 10 points clear of the bottom three.
They will go into Sunday’s contest with hopes of completing a league double over Stuttgart after recording a 2-0 victory in November’s reverse fixture.
Team News
Thomas Keller and Elidon Qenaaj will both miss out with knee injuries. Meanwhile, late decisions will be made over the availability of Lennard Maloney, Jan-Niklas Beste and Adrian Beck.