Stuttgart vs Borussia Dortmund

MHPArena is the venue as Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head in an exciting DFB-Pokal tie.

From a side that needed to navigate playoffs to secure top-flight status to a genuine top-four candidate, Stuttgart’s transformation is amongst the most impressive in modern Bundesliga history, with ‘Die Schwaben’ going into proceedings third in the standings, only five points adrift of pacesetters Bayer Leverkusen. Sebastian Hoeness’ men ought to take the field in high spirits after winning their last four competitive matches, including a 2-0 home triumph against Werder Bremen at the weekend. That run started with a 2-1 home victory against none other than their upcoming rivals, Borussia Dortmund, marking their first H2H success since December 2020. Before that success, Stuttgart had gone winless in five straight encounters between the sides (D1, L4), conceding multiple goals on each occasion.

On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund conceded a late, albeit well-deserved equalizer, in the weekend’sBundesliga blockbuster, drawing 1-1 at Bayer Leverkusen en route to their first stalemate after six games(W4, L2). Playing on the road doesn’t bode well for Dortmund’s effort to navigate this tie, as Edin Terzic’smen have only won once in their last four competitive away matches (D1, L2)) despite getting on the scoresheet every time. The visitors’ propensity for scoring and conceding in abundance promises another high-scoring contest, which has been a common theme in this fixture in the past decade. Ten of Dortmund’s last 11 visits to Stuttgart have seen over 2.5, highlighting the potential for an action-packed affair.