Preview:Borussia Dortmund vs Stuttgart - prediction, team news, lineups

There is a tasty top-four battle brewing in the Bundesliga this Saturday afternoon as Borussia Dortmund welcome Stuttgart to Signal Iduna Park.

Both teams have accumulated 21 points this season, and both will be hoping to gain a little bit of ground on current league leaders Bayern Munich before the start of the winter break next month.

Match preview

It has been well over a decade since Borussia Dortmund last tasted Bundesliga glory, and their hopes of ending that drought are already looking rather bleak.

The Prussians are already seven points adrift of Bayern Munich, though that has less to do with Borussia’s inadequacies and more to do with the sheer brilliance of the Bavarians.

In fact, you could argue that Borussia have enjoyed a rather strong start to the Bundesliga season, picking up six wins from their 10 matches and enduring just one defeat.

Niko Kovac and his men boast a terrific defensive record, conceding just seven goals since the start of the league season – a record that is only bettered by arch-rivals Bayern.

Nevertheless, the international break came at a good time for Die Borussen, who suffered a 4-1 defeat away at Manchester City in the Champions League before drawing 1-1 with Hamburger SV in the league.

Kovac and his side will now be looking for a return to winning ways as they take on a Stuttgart team whom they have not beaten in over three years.

Speaking of Die Schwaben, head coach Sebastian Hoeness is certainly squeezing every last bit of quality from his side, who are determined to establish themselves as a top Bundesliga club once more.

Stuttgart finished in a disappointing ninth spot last season, but winning the DFB-Pokal and ending their 18-year trophy drought certainly gave the club a massive boost.

One of the main ambitions for the Swabians this term is to bag a top four finish, and the club are on track with that ambition considering only Bayern Munich have won more league games than Stuttgart this season.

Hoeness oversaw six wins from eight matches before the international break, with the club not only trying to keep pace in the league but also on the continent.

Balancing Europa League duties with domestic ambitions is not easy, though Stuttgart will be hoping to remain on their current upward trajectory as they look to extend their winning run against Borussia Dortmund to six straight games.

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

Stuttgart form (all competitions):

Team News

Kovac provided positive injury news ahead of Saturday’s fixture, telling the media that all of his international players returned from continental duty in good health.

As things stand, there are two injury concerns for Borussia Dortmund, with Niklas Sule and Ramy Bensebaini both remaining on the sidelines.

Sule’s toe injury looks particularly bad, with Kovac admitting the player is still struggling to put on his shoes.

When it comes to Stuttgart, Angelo Stiller will be looking to deliver another big performance after being a high-profile omission from Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad during the recent international break.

Defenders Luca Jaquez and Ramon Hendriks have recently returned to training following muscular problems, but both are expected to remain on the sidelines for a little longer.

Meanwhile, Ermedin Demirovic (foot), Yannik Keitel (thigh) and Justin Diehl (ankle) will also miss out through injuries.

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Anton, Can, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson; Chukwuemeka, Beier; Guirassy

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Assignon, Jeltsch, Zagadou, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Bouanani, El Khannouss, Leweling; Undav