Preview:Wolfsburg vs Stuttgart - prediction, team news, lineups

A resurgent Stuttgart will hope to get the better of relegation-threatened Wolfsburg when they travel to Volkswagen Arena on Saturday in each side's first Bundesliga match after the international break.

The Wolves are fourth last in 15th place with just five points, while the fourth-placed visitors have 12 points following their 1-0 victory against Heidenheim in early October.

Match preview

Wolfsburg were beaten 3-1 by Augsburg on October 4, though they may consider themselves unfortunate to have not taken anything from the game considering they failed to convert a number of high-quality chances in the middle of the box.

Paul Simonis's side have produced the third most big chances in the Bundesliga (18), but they failed to score in two of their last three outings.

The Wolves avoided defeat against Stuttgart in 2024-25, winning 2-1 at MHPArena in February while holding their opponents to a 2-2 stalemate in the corresponding fixture in September 2024.

Failure to take three points on Saturday would extend Wolfsburg's winless streak to six matches, and a loss would be their fourth consecutive defeat.

The hosts are yet to triumph at home, with Simonis losing once and drawing twice, and he will be concerned that his side did not win any of their prior eight at Volkswagen Arena.

Stuttgart produced just under one xG when they beat Heidenheim, but they deserve credit for limiting their opponents to just four shots from inside the penalty area, two of which occurred in the closing six minutes of the clash.

Die Rotten currently occupy the division's final Champions League qualification spot, and a win on Saturday will be important for their European ambitions given they face third-placed RB Leipzig and second-placed Borussia Dortmund in two of their subsequent four Bundesliga matches.

Manager Sebastian Hoeness warned about being complacent against the Wolves' attack in the lead-up to the weekend, though he should be confident given his side have only conceded six times in the top flight, a record only bettered by Dortmund (four) and Bayern Munich (three).

The visitors form of late is impressive considering they have won five of their last six in all competitions, with the club emerging as winners in six of their past eight games in 2025-26, losing on just two occasions.

Stuttgart have scored at least twice in four of their past eight, but they have conceded at least two goals in three of their four away fixtures this season, succumbing to defeat in two of their three most recent matches on the road.

Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:

Wolfsburg form (all competitions):

Stuttgart Bundesliga form:

Stuttgart form (all competitions):

Team News

Wolfsburg's XI will be severely depleted given the likes of full-back Kevin Paredes and centre-back Denis Vavro are unavailable.

Central defenders Moritz Jenz and Konstantinos Koulierakis may be flanked by Kilian Fischer and Joakim Maehle.

Forward Patrick Wimmer has been ruled out, so perhaps Mohamed El Amine Amoura will play between wide attackers Adam Daghim and Andreas Skov Olsen.

Stuttgart's squad has also been impacted by injuries, with striker Ermedin Demirovic set to miss out until February due to a broken ankle.

Centre-forward Tiago Tomas has only scored once this season, but he may have to start his fourth Bundesliga match of 2025-26.

Angelo Stiller has performed well in midfield, and the German is set to marshal a double pivot also featuring Atakan Karazor.

Lorenz Assignon is likely to start on the right side of a back four given Pascal Stenzel is not scheduled to return until late October.

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:

Grabara; Fischer, Jenz, Koulierakis, Maehle; Svanberg, Arnold, Eriksen; Daghim, Amoura, Olsen

Stuttgart possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Assignon, Jaquez, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Bouanani, El Khannouss, Fuhrich; Tomas

We say: Wolfsburg 1-2 Stuttgart

Stuttgart's away form is sub-par, and they are unlikely to keep a clean sheet given their poor record at the back on the road.

While Wolfsburg could capitalise on the visitors' frailties on their travels, their form at Volkswagen Arena has been concerning for some time, and it is difficult to see them taking any points from Die Roten.

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