VfB Stuttgart hold a solid advantage as they travel to Volksparkstadion for their Bundesliga relegation playoff second leg against Hamburger SV. With Hamburg likely to be desperate for a turnaround, they are likely to leave themselves open at the back with Stuttgart boasting the attacking quality to take advantage.
Hamburg have a huge deficit to overturn on Monday after suffering a 3-0 defeat in the first meeting last week. An early goal from Stuttgart set the tone for the encounter as Tim Walter’s men spent much of the game on the back foot with the exploits of goalkeeper Daniel Heuer-Fernandes preventing an even worse result.
That was the first defeat in five matches for Hamburg, who have also claimed three wins in that run. They will be keen to channel some of those previous wins but now need a minimum of three goals to stand a chance of returning to the German topflight.
The good news for Hamburg is that they return to Volksparkstadion which has seen a few high-scoring results like the 6-1 victory over Hannover 96 and a 4-3 triumph over St Pauli. However, the ultra-offensive approach needed to overturn a three-goal deficit on Monday might leave them even more exposed at the back as they are already without a clean sheet in their last five home matches.
Despite enduring a difficult Bundesliga campaign, Stuttgart are now one game away from retaining their topflight status. They were full value for their win in the first leg with goals from Konstantinos Mavropanos, Joshua Vagnoman and Serhou Guirassy giving them a solid advantage.
That result means that Stuttgart are now unbeaten in their last four matches, claiming two wins in that run. Sebastian Hoeneß’s men will head into Monday’s clash with no pressure, knowing they can play on the break and exploit the spaces in the Hamburg backline.
Stuttgart’s recent showings on their travels will also give them confidence as they have claimed three wins and a draw from their last five away matches. They ran out 4-1 winners in their previous fixture on the road but have kept just one clean sheet in their last 13 away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Stuttgart have the edge among the bookies once again and are priced at 7/5 by 10bet to claim the win. A victory for Hamburg is valued at 19/10 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 14/5 by Paddy Power.
Recent head to head
The first leg result means Stuttgart have now won the last three matches against Hamburg. Die Schwaben were also victorious in the last meeting at Volksparkstadion, claiming a 2-1 extra-time win in a DFB Pokal clash back in 2019.
Players to watch
Robert Glatzel had a quiet outing in the first leg but still remains the one to watch for Hamburg having scored 18 goals during the regular season. The forward will be keen to set things right on Monday and is priced at 33/20 by Unibet to find the net.
Serhou Guirassy was a constant threat for Stuttgart in the first leg and eventually got a deserved goal in the second half. The striker has found the net four times in his last five matches and is priced at 9/5 by Unibet to maintain that scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye
Hamburg are often prolific at home and with Stuttgart boasting some attacking quality, goals could be expected here. The hosts will be desperate for a fast start and given Stuttgart’s penchant for early goals, both teams could be backed to score in the first half at 27/10 with Coral.
There have been over 3.5 goals in three of Hamburg's last four matches and a repeat is priced at 33/20 by Unibet. Stuttgart found the net in the first minute last Thursday and with a fast start expected once again, a goal within 10 minutes can be considered at 3/1 with bet365.
This German Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart will be played on Jun 5, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Hamburger SV vs VfB Stuttgart prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
