Stuttgart booked a place in Berlin’s cup final on Wednesday, but their Bundesliga form has seen them drop into the lower half of the standings.
| Stuttgart back in Bundesliga action after cup delight | Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images |
Bochum
Successive 3-1 defeats to Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen have Bochum back in the automatic relegation spot. Compared to the other teams in the race for survival, Dieter Hecking’s side has a generous fixture list in the remaining seven matchdays, however.
But, they seem to be getting results against tougher opposition. Bochum’s last two wins came against Bayern and Dortmund. On Saturday, they will hope to repeat that feat against last season’s runners-up, Stuttgart.
Bochum avoided relegation last season after a 3-0 first-leg defeat at home to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the relegation/promotion playoff. With a five-point gap between them and 15th-placed St. Pauli, another playoff finish could be a more plausible target.
Team News
Bochum will be hoping to have Bernardo, Kōji Miyoshi and Myron Boadu back in their matchday squad. During his pre-game press conference, Hecking indicated they’ll decide after evaluating their match fitness levels.
Stuttgart
For a while, this season was heading in a different direction from Stuttgart’s improbable second-placed finish last campaign. They narrowly missed out on a Champions League knockout place, while their decent start to the season is now a distant memory.
But, they’re now one step away from winning the club’s first major title in nearly two decades. Stuttgart put on a dominant performance against Leipzig to win the semi-final clash 3-1, thanks to goals from Angelo Stiller, Nick Woltemade and Jamie Leweling.
Before the big final against Arminia Bielefeld, Stuttgart will play seven Bundesliga matches to have a chance of European qualification via their league position. Including Saturday’s trip to Bochum, the first five will be against teams in the lower half of the standings.
Team News
Maximilian Mittelstädt, Stiller and Ameen Al-Dakhil will all miss the game due to suspensions. Meanwhile, Hoeneß expects Ramon Hendriks to return to the side after he missed the historic cup night due to stomach problems.
