Stuttgart vs RB Leipzig 16/02/19

16 February 2019

The relegation-threatened Stuttgart host the Champions League promotion contenders RB Leipzig to the Mercedes-Benz Arena looking to at least score the first goal against the Red Bulls in the Bundesliga.

Currently sitting three points below 15th-placed Augsburg, the hosts are frantically trying to post their first Bundesliga triumph since mid-December. The Swabians are going through a nightmarish period having lost five of their last six league outings (D1, L5), mainly thanks to disastrous defensive outputs. Not only the Reds have allowed 2+ match goals in all of their previous six BL meetings, but they also have the worst defensive record in the Bundesliga having conceded 47 goals in the opening 21 league fixtures. Furthermore, Stuttgart’s tally of 17 goals is a league joint-low, with Markus Weinzierl’s men failing to hit the net in 11 BL clashes thus far.

Meanwhile, the visitors are unbeaten in their last three Bundesliga outings (W2, D1), with both of their previous wins arriving away from home. In that period, the Red Bulls have scored seven goals while keeping a clean sheet in the process. Ralf Rangnick’s men have drastically improved their performance on the road considering those two triumphs have come after five successive defeats across all competitions in which they’ve managed to score just one goal while conceding eight along the way. Leipzig have taken full advantage of Eintracht Frankfurt’s three consecutive draws to create a five-point gap, and a potential victory here would further increase their chances of reaching the Champions League group stage next season.