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

A loss for hosts Stuttgart against Borussia Dortmund at MHPArena could leave them outside of the Bundesliga's top four.

Second-placed Dortmund's tally of 61 points means they are comfortably ahead of third placed Stuttgart, who have 53 points and are only three points ahead of fifth-placed Hoffenheim despite beating Augsburg 5-2 on March 22.

Match preview

Though Stuttgart conceded twice against Augsburg, they did race into a three-goal lead after Nikolas Nartey's strike in the 31st minute, and they limited their opponents to just one shot inside the box in the first half.

Die Roten's win followed a period of two losses and one draw in their prior four matches in all competitions, but they are now unbeaten in six Bundesliga games, with the club claiming three points four times.

Should Sebastian Hoeness lead his players to victory on Saturday, it would be their sixth success in seven meetings with BVB, although his team were held to a 3-3 stalemate in the reverse fixture in November 2025.

Stuttgart's five goals against Augsburg was the fourth game in six top-flight outings that they managed to score three or more goals in, and while they conceded six times in that stretch, they kept two clean sheets.

The hosts have enjoyed an excellent period at home, achieving victory at MHPArena each of their last four clashes at the stadium.

Borussia Dortmund emerged as 3-2 winners against Hamburger SV on March 21, coming back from a 2-0 deficit thanks to three goals in the closing 17 minutes of the game.

Niko Kovac's side have had an impressive season considering they are on track to accumulate 77 points, 20 more than they totalled in 2024-25, but it will be frustrating that Bayern Munich's nine-point lead almost certainly means they will be condemned to a 14th consecutive season without a league title.

BVB's win against Hamburger was their third in a row, as well as their ninth victory in 11 top-flight fixtures, and it was the 13th consecutive league match in which they netted more than once in.

At the other end of the pitch, Dortmund have averaged two goals conceded across their last six matches, and they have conceded eight times in their past four clashes away from home.

Kovac oversaw three wins in their five most recent away trips, and while they are undefeated on the road in the Bundesliga in nine fixtures, they were forced to settle for stalemates on four occasions.

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

Stuttgart form (all competitions):

Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga form:

Borussia Dortmund form (all competitions):

Team News

Should Hoeness stick with his three-man defence, than fans should expect to see Finn Jeltsch, Julian Chabot and Ramon Hendriks to appear together.

Angelo Still will make his 24th start in the Bundesliga barring a late injury, and there is no reason to think the midfield conductor will not be partnered by Atakan Karazor.

Deniz Undav might have had a case to be considered striker of the season had it not been for Harry Kane's remarkable form, but he will hope to net a 19th league goal this weekend.

Borussia Dortmund's biggest miss will be Emre Can, though given he has only started seven times in the Bundesliga, centre-backs Luca Reggiani, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck should be used to his absence in defence.

Jobe Bellingham is a candidate to feature in a double pivot alongside Marcel Sabitzer, and the Englishman will be desperate to prove he is good enough to make the England squad for the World Cup.

Number nine Serhou Guirassy can be pencilled into the starting XI, while Karim Adeyemi and Maximilian Beier will likely flank the striker.

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Jeltsch, Chabot, Hendriks; Leweling, Karazor, Stiller, Fuhrich; El Khannouss; Demirovic, Undav

Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:

Kobel; Reggiani, Anton, Schlotterbeck; Ryerson, Bellingham, Sabitzer, Svensson; Adeyemi, Guirassy, Beier

We say: Stuttgart 3-2 Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund's recent vulnerability suggests that Saturday's clash could be an entertaining affair if Stuttgart continue to excel in the final third.

While the visitors boast a significant lead in the table, the hosts' record against their opponents is outstanding, and they may come out on top this weekend.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.