Stuttgart will be looking to climb to the top of the Bundesliga table when they welcome newly-promoted SV Darmstadt 98 to the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Friday night.
While the hosts are seeking to win their third successive league game, the visitors are still searching for their first top-flight victory of the new campaign.
Match preview
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After avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, Stuttgart have since made an impressive start to the new Bundesliga campaign, winning three of their opening four games and scoring a league-high 14 goals in the process.
Eight of those goals have been scored by in-form striker Serhou Guirassy, who followed up two goals scored against VfL Bochum, a strike against RB Leipzig and a brace versus Freiburg with a brilliant hat-trick in a 3-1 away win over Mainz 05 last weekend.
Spirits are understandably high within the Stuttgart camp and Sebastian Hoeness's men will be motivated by the prospect of heading into the weekend at the Bundesliga summit. Indeed, victory against Darmstadt on Friday would see Stuttgart move to the top of the table and onto 12 points, accumulating just over a third of their entire points total (33) from last season.
Stuttgart, who have made an admirable start to the season despite selling key players in the summer including Wataru Endo, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Borna Sosa, have certainly enjoyed playing in front of their own fans so far this term, as they have won their opening two matches at the Mercedes-Benz Arena by 5-0 scorelines against Bochum and Freiburg.
Die Roten were beaten in their last home meeting with Darmstadt, though, losing 3-1 in June 2020 when both teams were competing in the second tier.
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While Stuttgart are flying high at the right end of the Bundesliga table, Darmstadt have made a slow start to life back in the top flight after securing promotion from the second tier last season, picking up just one point from their opening four matches.
After losing each of their first three games to Eintracht Frankfurt, Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen, Darmstadt appeared to be on course to claim their first victory of the campaign last weekend when they were leading 3-0 at half time against Borussia Monchengladbach courtesy of strikes from Marvin Mehlem, Matej Maglica and Tim Skarke.
Plenty of drama unfolded after the break, though, as the Lilies were reduced to 10 men just four minutes into the second half when Maglica was sent off for a foul inside the area, but goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen managed to keep out the resulting penalty kick.
Nevertheless, Monchengladbach mounted a spectacular second-half comeback, netting three times in the space of 21 minutes to rescue a point on their travels against Torsten Lieberknecht's side.
Darmstadt remain in the relegation zone as a result, and hopes of climbing away from danger with a victory on Friday could prove challenging as they travel to Stuttgart having won only two of their last 10 competitive away games dating back to March, failing to win each of their last five on the road in the process.
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Team News
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Stuttgart will be without Josha Vagnoman (foot) and Nikolas Nartey (knee) due to injury, and Thomas Kastanaras (muscle) will be assessed ahead of kickoff, while Woo-Yeong Jeong is still away on international duty with South Korea at the Asian Games.
Hoeness is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, with Hiroki Ito set to continue at left-back and join Waldemar Anton, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Pascal Stenzel in the back four, while Atakan Karazor, Angelo Stiller and Enzo Millot all operate in midfield.
Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Deniz Undav made his Stuttgart debut as a late substitute last time out, and he is expected to begin on the bench once again on Friday as Guirassy leads the line and seeks to build on his impressive start to the season in front of goal.
As for Darmstadt, they will be without the suspended Maglica as well as Fabio Torsiello due to a thigh injury, while Fraser Hornby (thigh), Christoph Zimmermann (back), Matthias Bader (knock), Oscar Vilhelmsson (illness) and Braydon Manu (tonsillitis) are all doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
The absence of Maglica could see midfielder Klaus Gjasula continue in the back three along with Christoph Klarer, and either Thomas Isherwood or Clemens Riedel recalled to the starting lineup.
Mehlem, who has scored two of Darmstadt's five Bundesliga goals so far this season, is expected to continue in centre-midfield alongside Fabian Holland and either Tobias Kempe or Bartol Franjic, while Filip Stojilkovic will battle with Stuttgart loanee Luca Pfeiffer, who is available to face his parent club, for a place up front alongside Skarke.
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Stenzel, Anton, Zagadou, Ito; Karazor, Stiller; Mvumpa, Millot, Fuhrich; Guirassy
SV Darmstadt 98 possible starting lineup:
Schuhen; Klarer, Gjasula, Isherwood; Bader, Franjic, Mehlem, Holland, Karic; Stojilkovic, Skarke
We say: Stuttgart 3-1 SV Darmstadt 98
Stuttgart have every reason to feel optimistic of claiming maximum points on Friday considering their strong start to the new season.
Darmstadt know what it takes to beat Die Roten on the road after coming away from the Mercedes-Benz Arena victorious in their last visit, albeit three years ago, but we expect the in-form hosts to claim a comfortable win this time around.
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