Stuttgart will hope to use their second last Bundesliga match of the season against visitors Augsburg on Sunday at MHPArena as preparation for the DFB-Pokal final on May 24.
Die Roten come into the clash having beaten St Pauli 1-0 on May 3 and are in 10th place with 44 points, while Augsburg are one point worse off in 11th place and lost 3-1 against Holstein Kiel last Sunday.
Match preview
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The hosts limited St Pauli to just one shot on target while preventing them from creating any big chances, but they were aided by the fact their opponents were reduced to 10 men in the 57th minute when the score was 0-0.
Though boss Sebastian Hoeness will be pleased that his team have kept two clean sheets in their past five in the league, his side still conceded seven goals in that period, as well as 10 goals in their previous four.
Stuttgart can still qualify for the Conference League considering there are still two games remaining in the Bundesliga season, but with six points separating them from sixth-placed RB Leipzig, the chances of qualification through league placement are slim.
Die Roten have lost two, drawn one and won one of their last four games, and they were also beaten in four of their prior eight, winning on just two occasions.
Hoeness will be concerned by the fact his team have lost six straight home games in the Bundesliga heading into Sunday's clash, with the club having collected more points on the road (24) than at MHPArena (20).
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The away side trailed 3-0 against Holstein Kiel by the time they netted a consolation goal in the 90th minute, though they will consider themselves unfortunate to have only scored once given they generated over three xG while conceding three of the seven shots they faced.
Augsburg have failed to score in two of their three most recent matches, and their record of 34 goals scored in the top flight makes them the worst offensive side in the top 12.
The Fuggerstadter were beaten 1-0 by Stuttgart in the reverse fixture on January 12, and they were also defeated by their hosts by the same scoreline in the DFB-Pokal on February 4.
Head coach Jess Thorup has overseen no victories in three outings – suffering two losses – and his side have in fact been beaten in three of their past six, winning just once.
Augsburg were defeated 2-0 by Bayer Leverkusen on May 26 in their most recent away Bundesliga match, but they were unbeaten in their prior eight on the road, achieving victory five times.
Team News
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Stuttgart will have to contend with the absences of defenders Dan-Axel Zagadou and Leonidas Stergiou, so perhaps Josha Vagnoman, Finn Jeltsch, Julian Chabot and Maximilian Mittelstadt will feature in defence.
Angelo Stiller and Atakan Karazor have frequently partnered each other in midfield, and they will likely be stationed between wide players Jamie Leweling and Chris Fuhrich given Enzo Millot is unavailable.
With forward El Bilal Toure injured, Hoeness could field a front two consisting of Deniz Undav and Nick Woltemade.
As for Augsburg, they will not be able to select striker Mergim Berisha, but regular starter Samuel Essende is ready to play.
In midfield, Thorup could station Kristijan Jakic and Frank Onyeka together given they appeared in a double pivot last time out, as well as considering the fact that Yusuf Kabadayi is injured.
Centre-back Noahkai Banks could return to the squad at the end of May, but in his absence Chrislain Matsima, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Cedric Zesiger may start in a back three.
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Vagnoman, Jeltsch, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Leweling, Karazor, Stiller, Fuhrich; Undav, Woltemade
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Matsima, Gouweleeuw, Zesiger; Wolf, Jakic, Onyeka, Giannoulis; Komur, Claude-Maurice; Essende
We say: Stuttgart 0-1 Augsburg
Neither side come into the clash in strong form and Sunday's game is likely to be a closely fought contest.
With Stuttgart's focus set to be on their upcoming DFB-Pokal cup final, they may not play with the same intensity in order to avoid injuries.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
