Preview: Stuttgart vs Union Berlin - prediction, team news, lineups

Fighting for their spot in the Bundesliga's top four, high-flying Stuttgart will welcome Union Berlin to MHPArena on Sunday.

Die Roten are looking for a fourth win in five league games, while Die Eisernen could make it five unbeaten in the top flight this weekend.

Match preview

Sebastian Hoeness's Stuttgart have carried their strong form from December into the New Year, recording back-to-back victories to kick off 2026.

Most recently, VfB followed up an impressive 4-1 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen - a game that saw them take a 4-0 lead in the first half - by coming from behind to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 on Tuesday.

Those triumphs over their European rivals have instilled a sense of assuredness into Die Roten, who are now unbeaten in five competitive matches and sit fourth in the Bundesliga, level on 32 points with third-placed RB Leipzig.

However, while Hoeness's side have hit a rich vein of form, they are just two points above fifth-placed Hoffenheim and three ahead of Leverkusen in sixth, and both sides boast superior goal-difference figures.

On the other hand, fans will be quietly confident about their team's chances of maintaining their Champions League spot on Sunday, given that they have seen the hosts win all but two of their league clashes at MHPArena this term, losing only once.

Meanwhile, Steffen Baumgart's Union have bounced back from three consecutive defeats between late November and early December to head into this game with a five-match unbeaten streak.

That being said, while Die Eisernen closed out 2025 with a 3-1 win over Leipzig and a 1-0 downing of FC Koln, they have drawn both of their first two fixtures in 2026 - 2-2 against Mainz 05 on January 10 and 1-1 with Augsburg on Thursday.

Dropping four points in those stalemates has left Baumgart's men ninth in the table, where they are currently six points off the European places at the halfway mark of the campaign.

Sunday's visitors will be keen to reduce the gap and build momentum for the remainder of the season, but supporters will make the trip knowing that their side have been inconsistent on the road, losing four, drawing one and winning three away league games in 2025-26.

Victory on Sunday would extend Union's run to five matches without defeat, and could lift the club up to eighth, leapfrogging Freiburg in the process. On the other hand, losing may see Die Eisernen fall nine points behind the top six, giving them a mountain to climb.

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

Stuttgart form (all competitions):

Union Berlin Bundesliga form:

Union Berlin form (all competitions):

Team News

Stuttgart will be without Dan-Axel Zagadou once again due to a thigh injury, and fellow centre-backs Luca Jaquez and Ameen Al Dakhil are doubts for this weekend, with the former closing in on a return from a hamstring problem and the latter being ill.

If all three are absent, then Ramon Hendriks and Julian Chabot should start at the heart of defence, flanked by Lorenz Assignon and Maximilian Mittelstadt at full-back.

At the opposite end of the pitch, attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannous is still away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while forwards Lazar Jovanovic and Tiago Tomas are dealing with respective back and muscle injures.

With that in mind, Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirovic look set to operate in a partnership up top, with Jamie Leweling and Chris Fuhrich supporting the duo from out wide.

As for Union, they are missing Derrick Kohn due to suspension, and Robert Skov due to a calf issue, so expect to see Josip Juranovic start at left wing-back.

Elsewhere, the exact details of centre-back Tom Rothe's injury are unknown, but the 21-year-old is likely to be sidelined once again with physical discomfort. However, Diogo Leite, Leopold Querfeld and Danilho Doekhi should be on hand to start in his stead.

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Assignon, Hendriks, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Chema, Stiller; Leweling, Nartey, Fuhrich; Undav

Union Berlin possible starting lineup:

Ronnow; Doekhi, Querfeld, Leite; Haberer, Kemlein, Khedira, Schafer, Juranovic; Ansah, Burke

We say: Stuttgart 3-2 Union Berlin

Stuttgart come into this game in strong form, and after beating European rivals Leverkusen and Frankfurt recently, they will be confident of securing another victory this weekend.

That being said, Union have proven resilient of late, so expect to see a close-fought clash on Sunday.

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