On Saturday afternoon, Stuttgart host Hoffenheim at the Mercedes Benz Arena, as the home team look to kick-start their Bundesliga campaign.
Stuttgart look to be suffering from second season Syndrome in the Bundesliga after a solid return to the German top-flight last season.
Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team are now five games without a victory in the Bundesliga, with their last league win coming on the opening weekend of the campaign when they hammered new boys Greuther Furth.
Last time out in the league, the home team drew 0-0 at another top-flight new boy Bochum.
The absence for much of the season of star striker Sasa Kalajdzic has certainly been a factor in those poor results. Promising winger Silas Katompa Mvumpa has also yet to return from a serious injury picked up last season.
Stuttgart really needs to up their game on home soil, as they currently head into this clash on the back of three defeats in their last four home Bundesliga outings dating back to last season.
Matarazzo’s team has also conceded at least two goals in three of their last four league games on home soil in the German top-flight.
Hoffenheim have endured mixed fortunes at the start of the current Bundesliga campaign. A tally of just eight points from their opening six matches is not a great one.
There is a positive for the Sebastian Hoeness’ team though, as a 3-1 win over high-flying Wolfsburg last time out ended a four-game winless run for the side from Sinsheim.
The visitors have a poor recent away record in the Bundesliga, as they have won just one of their previous 11 league matches on their travels. Their most recent away games have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in six of their previous nine matches on the road.
Forebet predicts that Hoffenheim will improve that recent away record by recording a victory in a high-scoring encounter.