19 November 2021, 13:08 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The Bundesliga fixture, Borussia Dortmund vs. VfB Stuttgart, kicks off at 15:30 (GMT+1) on Saturday, November 20, at Signal Iduna Park.
Preview Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga, Nov 20, 2021
Preview Dortmund picked up a 2-1 defeat to RB Leipzig on Matchday 11 at the Red Bull Arena with 43,429 spectators in attendance. Christopher Nkunku (29') latched on to a through pass from Josko Gvardiol, before rounding the Dortmund goalkeeper, Kobel, for the opener. But the Dortmund skipper, Reus (52'), found the leveler after picking up Thomas Meunier’s defense splitting through ball, before smashing it past the goalkeeper. Minutes later, at 1-1, Christopher Nkunku executed a Zidane roulette right inside the box, much to the surprise of four yellow shirts, before the woodwork denied him what would have been a remarkable goal. Later on, the 24-year-old picked out Yussuf Poulsen (68') with a deft assist across the face of goal to condemn the Black & Yellows to their first defeat in five games: WWWWL. However, Dortmund held on to 2nd place, having 24 points after 8W, 0D, & 3L. On the numbers, the Black & Yellows have a goal ratio of 2.55 g.p.g. this season, having scored 28 goals in 11 Bundesliga games. Marco Rose will be counting on his side's credentials in the final third to see off Stuttgart over the weekend in a bid to keep tabs on Bayern Munich, whom they trail by four points. Rose is expected to go with three at the back, fashioned in a 3—4—2—1 formation, with Hazard playing ahead of Julian Brandt and Marco Reus. On the treatment table, Haaland (hip) remains sidelined until mid-December. In addition, Morey (knee), Reyna (thigh), and Schmelzer (knee) are all ruled out of this fixture, while Can (muscular) and Dahoud (knee) remain doubtful for Saturday's game.
Preview VfB Stuttgart Bundesliga, Nov 20, 2021
Preview Stuttgart picked up a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arminia Bielefeld on MD 11. Masaya Okugawa (19') bagged the only goal at the Mercedes-Benz Arena to condemn Stuttgart to back-to-back defeats: WDDLL. The loss saw Die Schwaben drop two spots from 13th to 15th place on the Bundesliga table, having picked up only 10 points from 2W, 4D, & 5L. With just over a goal per game, the Swabians have a total of 15 goals after eleven Bundesliga games. The numbers are not good enough to trouble the Black and Yellows, so Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side must keep it tight at the back to emerge with at least a point against Dortmund. However, Stuttgart have also been poor at the back. They have conceded 20 goals so far this season. An average of 1.82 goals per 90 minutes, which leaves the club with a G.D. of -5. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s probable 3—1—4—2 formation against Dortmund could see Daniel Didavi and Al Ghaddioui in attack. Kalajdzic (shoulder) and Millot (knee) are ruled out of this fixture, while Ahamada (Achilles) remains in doubt.