In-form Stuttgart will be looking to end 2023 on a high when they face off against Bundesliga rivals Augsburg at the MHP Arena on Wednesday.
The hosts will come into this match with 31 points and in fourth place in the league standings, while the visitors are 10th, with 18 points in 15 matches this season.
Match preview
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After finishing last season in the relegation playoff spot and narrowly avoiding the drop, Stuttgart look like a new side this term and have been churning out impressive results with consistency.
The Reds have already secured 10 wins in 15 league games this season and are holding down the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot with a five-point cushion over Borussia Dortmund in fifth place.
Sebastian Hoeness's side head into this encounter following a difficult run of fixtures, which included facing the top two sides in the league over the last couple of weeks.
They managed to hold league leaders Bayer Leverkusen to a hard-fought 1-1 draw last week but were no match for Bayern Munich, who claimed a 3-0 win over them at the Allianz Arena over the weekend.
However, the hosts will not be deterred by that result as they return now to their home patch, where they have been excellent this season, with a record of six wins, one draw and just one loss in eight matches.
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Meanwhile, Augsburg have also made a good start to their 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign, albeit not as impressive as what their opponents have delivered up to the halfway point of the season.
Fuggerstadter have recorded four wins, six draws and five losses in their 15 matches this term, leaving them six points behind Freiburg in the Conference League qualification spot and nine clear of the drop.
Jess Thorup's side held last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund to a 1-1 draw at home last week, with Ermedin Demirovic scoring the opener before Donyell Malen levelled proceedings 10 minutes before the break.
With that result, Augsburg have now only lost one of their last eight league matches, which was a 2-0 defeat to Werder Bremen on the road at the start of the month.
The last time these sides met, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at WWK Arena, but Augsburg have failed to beat this opponent in their last three attempts, losing twice before that draw last season.
Team News
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Hoeness has a few notable injury absentees for this match, with Nikolas Nartey (knee), Hiroki Ito (muscle), Lilian Egloff (knee) and Roberto Massimo (muscle) all ruled out.
Serhou Guirassy has been excellent for the Swabians this season and is second in the Golden Boot standings with 16 goals, four behind England international Harry Kane.
Guirassy will almost certainly lead the line again in this match and will be joined in attack by Deniz Undav, who has netted eight goals and two assists in 12 league appearances this term.
Iago missed the last two league matches after picking up a hip injury against Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of the month, although the midfielder could return to the squad for this one.
Defensive duo Reece Oxford (illness) and Raphael Framberger (cruciate ligament tear) have not featured at all this season and are expected to remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Irvin Cardona has been flagged as a doubt for the match due to illness but may still be in line for selection if he is cleared fit to play by the team's medical staff.
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Vagnoman, Anton, Zagadou, Mittelstadt; Millot, Karazor, Stiller, Fuhrich; Guirassy, Undav
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Dahmen; Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Pedersen; Dorsch, Rexhbecaj; Engels, Demirovic, Jensen, Tietz
We say: Stuttgart 3-1 Augsburg
Stuggart have been very good this season and look set to challenge for a Champions League spot as long as they can keep churning out results as they have been doing up to this point. Augsburg are certainly no pushover, but we fancy the hosts to claim the points as we head into the three-week league break.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
