VfB Stuttgart
At the beginning of the second half of the season Stuttgart has not changed much and the team is still playing better at home than away. In the first round, the Stuttgarter won a home win and thus ended the series of five defeats in a row. They also lost at the cup competition, against Mainz. In the last round of the championship, they played for the same rival when they finally hoped for an away win.
They also started well and were led by center-back Badstuber’s goal, but then they scored twice in the closing stages of the first and early second half, with a third later. So the victory was definitely gone. They were completely dubbed and can not complain, while they continue to have only one away point in the account. Kaminski and Akolo are back in the starting eleven, so Stuttgart will probably play again with three center-backs.
Schalke 04
Schalke did not continue the good games in the second half of the season and scored just one point in the first two rounds. The defeat in the first round at Leipzig is still acceptable, because the opponent is strong and Schalke has a bad match. So you could not expect much. But in the last round at home against Hannover, the hosts were in the role of favorites and they expected a triumph. But he stayed out again. They were early in the lead, with the help of the winter reinforcement Pjaca. It was his debut, scoring a goal in front of the home crowd.
Later, today’s guests have focused mainly on keeping the lead gained. This style of play backfired and they conceded a goal in the closing stages. It ended thus 1: 1. Coach Tedesco has changed the starting lineup a bit and Pjaca has slipped in instead of Santa, while Kehrer has been in defense instead of Stambouli. D. Caligiuri was not there and instead of him Goretzka played, while we expect again Caligiuri. But not Goretzka should on the spare bench, but Schopf. Maybe Stambouli will be back in the starting lineup.
VfB Stuttgart – Schalke 04 TIP
Stuttgart play much better at home, but against lighter opponents. Schalke are strong and should play well here despite the bad start. Guests are at an advantage while a draw is also expected.
