Stuttgart and RB Leipzig kick off their Bundesliga campaigns Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, with the former having already played in this season’s DFB-Pokal kickoff at 4:30 pm.
After surviving the drop in the last couple of seasons, Stuttgart now looks set to consolidate their Bundesliga status for another year at least.
Retaining Sasa Kalajdzic and making Dinos Mavropanos’s move a permanent deal has enabled Stuttgart to make the most of their time in the top flight. Still, they certainly rode their luck against Dynamo Dresden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
After Darko Churlinov had given Matarazzo’s side a 1-0 lead, Waldemar Anton saw red for Stuttgart midway through the second half, but a late goal from Ivo Ilicevic gave them some breathing space and allowed them to progress into round two with a 1-0 win.
Entering the 2022-23 season with a shiny DFB-Pokal trophy to defend, RB Leipzig found themselves 3-0 and then 4-1 down against Bayern Munich in the annual curtain-raiser before threatening a comeback against the perennial Bundesliga champions.
Despite Marcel Halstenberg, Christopher Nkunku, and Dani Olmo’s efforts, Domenico Tedesco’s side failed to keep things tight at the back and paid for it as Bayern struck five goals of their own to help Julian Nagelsmann get one over his old employers.
Stuttgart vs RB Leipzig Head to Head
Both sides have eight games against each other, with hosts winless while visitors taking seven wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Dynamo Dresden 0-1 Stuttgart
- Stuttgart 5-2 Valencia
- Stuttgart 2-1 Brentford
- Zurich 2-3 Stuttgart
Away
- RB Leipzig 3-5 Bayern Munich
- RB Leipzig 0-5 Liverpool
- Southampton 1-3 Leipzig
- Freiburg 1-1 Leipzig
Stuttgart Team News
Stuttgart defender Anton will be available for selection despite his red card against Dresden, carrying over to his side’s next DFB-Pokal outing. There is hope that star striker Kalajdzic will be fit for the contest after returning to team training from an ankle injury.
RB Leipzig Team News
Leipzig striker Alexander Sorloth is back with the team after battling back from a foot injury, but Yussuf Poulsen (thigh) is unlikely to be involved just yet. Josko Gvardiol missed the Super Cup defeat to Bayern with a muscular injury but is expected to be fine for this one.
Prediction and Odds
Leipzig’s squad isn’t in perfect shape either, but with Nkunku seeking to pick up where he left off and Bayern already feeling the full force of Roten Bullen’s attacking talent, we’re backing Leipzig to pick up an opening-day win.
- Away Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Nkunku to Score
