Bundesliga: Will Stuttgart Feel a Bavarian Backlash?

Bayern Munich vs VfB Stuttgart

Second plays third in the Bundesliga match of the weekend on Sunday when Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich takes on Sebastien Hoeness’ VfB Stuttgart.

Die Roten of Stuttgart are the surprise package in this campaign after finishing 16^th and surviving via the play-offs last season, and they come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with pacesetters Bayer Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, the Bavarians had a nasty jolt last week. Bayern fully expected to beat an out-of-form Eintracht Frankfurt, but they came a huge cropper, losing 5-1 and that was without doubt the biggest of all the Bundesliga 2023 results this year.

To put it into context, when Bayern were stuffed by Frankfurt by the same scoreline in 2019, then-head coach Niko Kovac was potted within 24 hours. And his team stood four points behind the leaders at the point just as Tuchel’s team does now.

This is a game of high peril for Tuchel and Die Bayern since they cannot catch the league leaders, but they can be leapfrogged by their visitors if they fall to another defeat.

Talking Points

Kane vs Guirassy

While it is high stakes for the two teams involved, this clash is a belter for the neutrals, and the headline act is the face-off between the two hottest strikers in the Bundesliga.

Harry Kane has been one of the best goal scorers in world football for a decade, winning the World Cup Golden Boot in 2018, and he became the costliest player in Bundesliga history when he signed for Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur for an eye-watering €110 million.

The England skipper is already paying the fee back in huge chunks. He has scored 18 goals and made five assists in 13 games and, just as he did with Heung-Min Son at Spurs, Kane has struck up a lethal partnership with winger Leroy Sane, who has scored eight goals and made seven assists.

Serhou Guirassy has scored 16 goals in 12 games for Stuttgart, and he has exploded onto the Bundesliga scene after making his loan move from Stade Rennes permanent in the summer.

He broke the record for the highest number of goals in the first seven games of the campaign, making it 13 with a 15 minute hat-trick against Wolfsburg and surpassing the record of 11 set by the legendary Robert Lewandowski. Guirassy missed two games with a hamstring injury, but he returned with a goal in a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Kane and Guirassy, both at a ratio of more than a goal a game, will have the eyes of the world on them on Sunday.

Kimmich can make Bayern tick

Bayern responded to their spanking in Frankfurt by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in their final Champions League group match.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel’s team were back to their organised best as a Kingsley Coman goal gave them a comfortable win over the Red Devils. They controlled possession and limited United to just five shots in the entire match.

Joshua Kimmich has been playing as a holding midfielder for Die Bayern and, while the Bavarian midfield was overrun at times against Frankfurt, the 28-year-old is the key figure in a team which has plenty of attacking options.

His reading of the game, versatility, and superb passing range make him an asset at either end of the pitch and, while Kane and Sane take more headlines, Kimmich is the man who keeps the champions on track, as he did in style at Old Trafford.

Stuttgart fear no one

Over the past six games, Stuttgart have beaten Borussia Dortmund twice and Eintracht Frankfurt. And last week, they drew with league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

This is not a one man team by any stretch. Head coach Hoeness can rely on Deniz Undav and Chris Fuhrich, who have scored eight goals and made two assists, and four goals and five assists, respectively.

They have an exciting frontline and a defence, marshalled by the experienced Waldemar Anton, which has conceded just 16 goals.

Stuttgart will head to Munich brimming with confidence and are a real and present danger to the title favourites.

History

With 45 wins, 10 draws, and 10 defeats, the Bavarians have had the upper hand over Stuttgart in recent times, and they have won four of the last six, drawing the other two.

But recent form slightly favours the visitors who have won five and drawn one of their last six games, while their hosts have won four, drawn one, and lost one.

The latest Bundesliga 2023 betting odds are still right behind the Bavarians retaining their title, but this is the type of game they must win to assert their authority.

Betting Tip

Pricing Die Bayern at 1.37 our SBOTOP stats team reckon this is a nailed-on home win, but Stuttgart are a good team and their fans will have plenty of optimism.

An away win is set at 5.60 with the draw at odds of 4.61. I agree with the odds, though, so I expect an exciting game with Bayern to edge it.

 

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