After two straight defeats, Stuttgart will look to get back amongst the points when the hosts Bochum at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday afternoon. The visitors will be searching for back-to-back wins. Read on for our free predictions and betting tips.
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Bookmaker Ratings prediction one: Total Goals – Over 2.5 Goals – 1.91
Bookmaker Ratings prediction two: Total Goals – Over 3.5 Goals – 3.50
Over 2.5 Goals
Both teams arrive here in scoring form. Last time out, the hosts scored twice, while the visitors scored four. Add in that neither have been in strong defensive form and a relatively high-scoring game starts to look more likely than the early prices suggest. Additionally, 3.72 goals have been scored at Mercedes-Benz Arena this season.
Over 3.5 Goals
This game really is an opportunity for both to thrive in the final third, and thus attacking play could be the order of the day. The visitors are unlikely to yield after a cavalier approach saw them flourish last weekend, while Stuttgart, for all their flaws right now, can certainly score goals at home, especially in games of this nature. Moreover, 64% of Stuttgart’s home games this season have contained at least four goals.
Last weekend, things went from bad to worse for Stuttgart, who are slipping ever closer to a reality involving the second division. Saturday’s hosts are now second from bottom, four points from safety, and they arrive here off the back of four straight defeats. OK, they’ve not had an easy run having to face four teams inside the top ten, while they’ve certainly had a few things go against them, but overall, it’s not been good enough from Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men.
The problem right now is defensive solidity, or rather a lack of it. The Stuttgart back-line arrives here having shipped 11 goals in four games, conceding at least twice in each of those four. Therein lies the problem. Facing Bochum is undoubtedly less daunting than recent tasks, but such a defensive record makes it hard to fancy the hosts.
Meanwhile, the visitors are ticking along nicely. They come into this fixture having avoided defeat in each of their last four, two of which they;ve won. After beating German giants and league leaders Bayern last weekend, scoring an impressive four goals in the process, Saturday’s visitors will be buzzing with confidence right now.
Playing away from home hasn’t always provided the visitors with joy this season, though amongst a few poor results lay some pleasing efforts against bottom-half teams. In their most recent away game, the Bochum boys drew 1-1 at Hertha Berlin, while they’ve beaten the likes of Furth and Augsburg on the road this term. Overall, Thomas Reis’s men have won two, drawn one and lost two away against teams that currently reside in the bottom half.
The ‘safest’ option here is probably ‘Both Teams to Score’. As touched on above, both teams have found goals easy to come by over the last few weeks, while the hosts’ dreadful defensive record doesn’t exactly point towards a low-scoring affair. Both teams have scored in 73% of Stuttgart’s home fixtures.
The hosts are expected to be without the services of Waldemar Anton, Tanguy Coulibaly and Daniel Didavi, all of whom have struggled with illness this week. Sasa Kalajdzic continues to nurse a calf injury. Simon Zoller is still recovering for Bochum, as is Paul Grave.
Stuttgart: Muller, Stenzel, Mavropanos, Ito, Sosa, Fuhrich, Mangala, Karazor, Endo, Silas, Tomas.
Bochum: Esser, Gamboa, Bella-Kotchup, Leitsch, Soares, Osterhage, Losilla, Rexhbecaj, Antwi-Adjei, Locadia, Holtmann.
Gerrit Holtmann
Visiting forward Gerrit Holtmann is one to watch here. Following a goal and an assist against Bayern last week, the Phillipines international should be chomping at the bit. The 26-year-old now has four goals and four assists to his name this season, while he averages a combined 0.35 expected goals and assists per 90 minutes.
The pair played out a 0-0 draw earlier in the campaign.
Mercedes-Benz Arena will be the setting for this Bundesliga clash.
We recommend checking out both William Hill and Vbet ahead of this fixture.