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You may know Raph from his excellent work on BT Sport where he shares his knowledge of the European game and we're hoping he can make some of that know-how pay for us on MrFixitsTips. Best of luck Raphael!
Stuttgart v Dortmund (Fri 7.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund’s title challenge has somewhat fallen apart in little over a month. They’ve taken a single point from their last four games, in which they’ve also conceded 12 goals.
“We’ll find our way back to where we were,” was the rallying cry from Dortmund coach Peter Bosz ahead of his side’s trip to Stuttgart but they’ll be doing that without their beleaguered top scorer.
For “disciplinary reasons”, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been suspended ahead of the game. His form is not quite as bad as it’s been touted even if he has not scored in four games.
What will be interesting is to see how Dortmund cope without him up against a former coach of theirs. Stuttgart’s Hannes Wolf spent seven years coaching at the club, with his final role being in charge of Dortmund’s second team.
Since moving to Stuttgart last year, he’s got them promoted and made a decent start with them on their return to the Bundesliga.
No team in fact boasts a better home record in the German top flight than the Swabians. They even boast the best home defence having conceded just one goal at home so far this season.
Midfielder Dzenic Burnic, on loan from Dortmund, will miss the game against his parent club after a harsh sending off against Hamburg before the international break.
As for Dortmund, Ukrainian forward Andrey Yarmolenko could shift across into the centre to deputise for Aubameyang. The away side usually enjoy themselves down in Stuttgart but their iffy form of late coupled with Stuttgart’s home strength suggests an upset might be on the cards.
Raphael's Tips
- Correct score: Stuttgart 1, Dortmund 1 (13-2, Unibet)
- First scorer: Chardrac Akolo (8-1, Unibet)
- Stuttgart double chance (49-50, Unibet)
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and his tips appear here thanks to our football partner at MrFixitsTips, Unibet. They're making a big splash in the UK betting scene and if you join them today you can claim up to £30 in Welcome Bonuses when you deposit and place your first bet.
Munich-born Raphael Honigstein writes about football for Germany’s biggest broadsheet, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, ESPNFC and others. He’s a regular pundit on BT Sport’s European Football Show and the author of “Englischer Fussball: A German View of Our Beautiful Game”. His favourite food is Schnitzel, predictably.
