SC Paderborn vs. VfB Stuttgart DFB-Pokal preview: Team news and predicted lineups

SC Paderborn:

Making up one of only four all-Bundesliga ties in the DFB-Pokal's second round this week, SC Paderborn welcome VfB Stuttgart to the Home Deluxe Arena with kick-off scheduled for 18:00 CET under the floodlights. 

Having picked up their first Bundesliga win in the form of a 1-0 triumph over HSV last Saturday, Ralf Kettemann's side should be full of confidence. They reached this stage in August by beating Phönix Lubeck 4-2. 

With close to a fully fit squad, this marks Paderborn's second chance to test their mettle against the Swabians. They will be out for revenge too, given Sebastian Hoeneß' men got the better of them 2-0 back in early October.

VfB Stuttgart:

Stuttgart, on the other hand, will come into this game under immense pressure it seems. Friday's shocking 3-2 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach underlines just how poor their form has been in the German topflight.

Perhaps one bright spark is the fact Ermedin Demirović found his shooting boots again with a brace. Knowing they have beaten the East Westphalians once already may also present grounds for some cautious optimism.

However, Stuttgart look like a shadow of the team that sank Hansa Rostock 4-0 in the first round. One would imagine, anything other than progression here would only heap further pressure on Hoeneß amid a difficult spell. 

Team news:

Marcel Hoffmeier (muscle) and Nyamekye Awortwie-Grant (knee) are out, while Sebastian Klaas (groin) and Timur Gayret (knee) will be absent. Otherwise, Kettemann's side look to be in good shape.

As for Stuttgart, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Josha Vagnoman (both hamstring injuries) ought to be sidelined along with Nikolas Nartey and Tiago Tomas (both muscle injuries), while the game probably comes too soon for Justin Diehl.

Predicted lineups: 

SC Paderborn (3-3-2-2): Noll – Ter Horst, Scheller, Götze – Curda, Castañeda, Obermair – Ulrich, Vidovic – Marino, Tigges

VfB Stuttgart (4-2-3-1): Bredlow – Assignon, Jeltsch, Hendriks, Mittelstädt – Karazor, Stiller – Sauer, Demirovic, Fuhrich – Pejcinovic