The second round of the DFB-Pokal serves up an intriguing all-Bundesliga clash, with high-flying VfB Stuttgart hosting struggling Union Berlin on Tuesday.
After nine matches, the two sides are separated by 15 points in the Bundesliga table, with third-placed Stuttgart leading 15th-placed Union Berlin.
Believe it or not, Stuttgart have recorded seven wins and two losses in the league, while Union have recorded just two victories and seven defeats.
Stuttgart kicked off their DFB-Pokal campaign with an easy 4-0 win over Balingen back in August, racking up 69% possession and 24 shots against the lower-league side.
As a result, the Reds have won eight of their 10 matches across all competitions this season, scoring over 2.5 goals on seven occasions.
Serhou Guirassy has been the star of the show for Stuttgart this term, scoring 15 goals in nine games, including 14 goals in eight Bundesliga appearances.
Thanks largely to Guirassy’s efforts, Stuttgart find themselves third in the table – four points shy of first-placed Bayer Leverkusen – with the second-best offensive record in the division.
At the opposite end of the standings, Union Berlin sit just one point outside the bottom three, having taken just six points from a possible 27.
Like Stuttgart, Union started their season with a 4-0 victory in the DFB-Pokal, dispatching Astoria Walldorf in the first round back in August.
Since then, however, the Iron Ones have struggled in the Bundesliga and the Champions League, with 10 straight defeats coming between September and October.
Not only have Union lost each of their last 10 games, but they have also failed to score on seven occasions during that sequence.
Head-to-head: Stuttgart and Union have faced each other 11 times since 2016, with the Reds winning twice and Iron Ones winning three times.
That said, Union Berlin have lost just one of their previous nine meetings with Stuttgart, picking up three wins and five draws in the process.
Team news: Stuttgart could be without Guirassy on Tuesday as the key striker recovers from a muscle problem, while Fabian Bredlow, Nikolas Nartey and Josha Vagnoman are also injured.
On the flip side, Union Berlin’s injury list includes Danilho Doekhi, Josip Juranovic and Andras Schafer, while David Datro Fofana is also expected to miss Tuesday’s clash.
Given that Union have lost each of their previous 10 matches across all competitions, Stuttgart look set to extend the Iron Ones’ losing streak on Tuesday.
Forebet predicts that Stuttgart will make light work of Union Berlin, scoring over 2.5 goals while keeping a clean sheet.