RB Leipzig are aiming to maintain their recent good form as they host Stuttgart in a Friday night Bundesliga fixture.
The hosts are looking a completely different side to the one that struggled at the start of the season and are currently unbeaten in their last 10 matches. They have claimed seven wins in that run and sit just four points off leaders Bayern Munich.
Leipzig claimed a 6-1 victory at Schalke 04 in their previous Bundesliga fixture, even without injured top scorer Christopher Nkunku.
Putting six past Schalke 04 without Nkunku shows the strength of Leipzig’s attacking depth and they have claimed a few of such results in their unbeaten home run this season. Among the wins for Marco Rose’s men at the Red Bull Arena is a 4-0 victory over Bochum, although they played out a 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich in their previous home fixture.
Stuttgart’s recent form has been in stark contrast to RB Leipzig’s as they have claimed just one win from their last five Bundesliga matches. Sitting just one point above the bottom three, they are in the relegation scrap and in need of a quick turnaround in fortunes.
A small positive for Stuttgart is that they may have something to build on having drawn their last two matches. First they played out a 1-1 scoreline with Mainz before coming from behind to draw 2-2 at Hoffenheim in their previous Bundesliga fixture.
While manager Bruno Labbadia will be pleased with the performance at Hoffenheim, the result means Stuttgart are still winless on their travels this season. They had suffered four straight defeats prior to that draw, a run that includes a 5-0 hammering at Borussia Dortmund.
How the bookies view it
RB Leipzig are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and priced at odds of 1/2 by William Hill to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Stuttgart is valued at 6/1 by Coral while a draw is set at odds of 7/2 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
RB Leipzig have never lost to Stuttgart, claiming seven wins and two draws from nine previous matches. One of the draws was in the reverse fixture as both teams settled for a 1-1 scoreline back in August.
Players to watch
In the absence of Christopher Nkunku, RB Leipzig’s biggest attacking threat is likely to be Timo Werner. The striker has four goals in the last six matches across all competitions and is priced at 11/8 by Betfred to get in the score sheet on Friday.
While Stuttgart have generally struggled this season, Serhou Guirassy is having a fine campaign. The forward has found the net three times in his last four Bundesliga matches and is priced at 9/2 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the number of one-sided victories for RB Leipzig in recent times, a -1 handicap could be considered at 5/4 with Unibet. They won both halves last time out at Hoffenheim and Friday’s clash could be set to follow a similar pattern at 13/5 with Unibet.
There have been over 3.5 goals in five of RB Leipzig’s last eight Bundesliga matches and a repeat is valued at 13/8 by bet365. The hosts can also be backed to score in both halves at 6/5 with bet365.
This German Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart will be played on Jan 27, 2023 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best RB Leipzig vs VfB Stuttgart prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
