Bayer Leverkusen vs Stuttgart 06/02/20

6 February 2020

Bayer Leverkusen welcome Stuttgart to the BayArena for their DFB Pokal third-round showdown this midweek.

Having brought a three-game winning run to a halt with a 2-1 away defeat to TSG Hoffenheim last time out, the hosts will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on a side they’ve beaten in six of their previous seven competitive H2Hs (L1). Notably, six of those seven results (win/loss) saw the winner on the day keep a clean sheet, with the last five featuring under 2.5 goals. Also, ‘Die Werkself’ have outplayed Stuttgart in seven of their previous nine H2Hs held here (D1, L2), scoring over 1.5 goals in all but one of those clashes, although failing to keep a clean sheet in six. Another high-scoring affair could be on the cards, as five of Leverkusen’s last nine competitive home games produced three goals or more.

Meanwhile, the visitors head to the BayArena on a run of six matches without a loss (W3, D3), with five of those fixtures seeing both teams score. However, winning away from home has proved to be a daunting task for the traveling side, who failed to clinch victory in five consecutive road trips (D3, L2). Stuttgart’s recent problems away from home have everything to do with their frustratingly slow starts. Indeed, they’ve shipped the opener in six of their previous seven road games, with five of those opening goals coming inside the first 20 minutes of play. The one consolation for Pellegrino Matarazzo is that his players have been regular on the scoresheet lately, finding the net in all but one of their last nine travels.