Opponent analysis: RB Leipzig vs VfB Stuttgart

A home game under the floodlights on Friday evening!

Nach der unglücklichen Niederlage zum Bundesliga-Start bei Bayer 04 Leverkusen sollen am 2. Spieltag die ersten Punkte her. Am Freitag, 25. August, empfängt RB Leipzig um 20.30 Uhr den VfB Stuttgart zum ersten Heimauftritt dieser Saison in der Red Bull Arena. Following the unfortunate defeat toBayer 04 Leverkusento kick off the season, RB Leipzig are looking to pick up their first points of the season on the second matchday. On Friday 25th August (20:30 CEST) Leipzig host VfB Stuttgart at the Red Bull Arena in what will be their first home appearance this season.

The Swabians hit the ground running at the start of the new season, defeating VfL Bochum5-0 to find themselves top of the league. With this victory, VfB have set a standard for themselves and continued on theirupwards trajectory under head coach Sebastian Hoeneß.

Last time around, the prospect of staying in the league hung in the balance for the team, as they finished in 16th place. However, they were able to defeat Hamburger SV comprehensively over two legs (3-0 and 3-1) in the relegation play-offs, and made it to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal.

After the past few months and their good start to the season, our opponents are coming to the Messestadt with a lot of confidence. But things are looking really good on the Leipzig side of things, too: we’ve won eight and haven’t lost any of the last 10 games between the clubs.

As always, you can find all the info on VfB Stuttgart below in our opponent analysis.

Form

The team was in good form in pre-season. Among others, Stuttgart won against 2-1 against Vitesse Arnhem and 3-0 against Sheffield United. Their only loss came against fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, as they fell to a 5-1 defeat.

The Swabians have made the most of things at the start of the new season. In the first round of the DFB-Pokal they cruised to a 4-0 victory at TSG Balingen. As aforementioned, they kicked off their Bundesliga campaign with a convincing 5-0 win over Bochum. Silas and Serhou Guirassy look to be at the top of their game, with both attackers scoring three goals in two games.

VfB’s form in numbers

VfB Stuttgart…

…have been defensively and offensively strong at the start the season. They’ve won their two games this season with a combined scoreline of 9-0. If you take the friendlies into account, they’ve kept four clean sheets and scored 14 goals in their last four games.
…won 99 duels against Bochum, the third most of any team on the first matchday.
…completed 89.3% of their passes against Bochum, which also ranks as the third best amongst Bundesliga teams.

Squad

Transfers

Arrivals

.Alexander Nübel is the new number 1. The 26 year-old is still under contract at FC Bayern München until June 2025, but had been on loan at AS Monaco for the last two seasons. VfB have secured the services of the ex-Schalke man after two campaigns in France – also on a loan deal from Bayern.
Maximilian Mittelstädt was the first new arrival in Swabia at the beginning of June. The left-back, who can also play in midfield, made the switch from Hertha BSC, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season. The Berlin-born player came through Hertha’s set up and played 145 Bundesliga games for his hometown club.
Woo-Yeong Jeong is expected to strengthen the attacking midfield department. The South Korea was brought in after three years at SC Freiburg and was immediately given the number 10 shirt. The 23 year old has already made several appearances for his national team. Playing in a Champions League game in November 2018, he became the first South Korean to play for FC Bayern and indeed the first to play for the Munich side in Europe’s premier competition. He stands out mostly due to his goodtechnique and pace.
Deniz Undav is another newcomer, although he is out with a partial lateral collateral ligament tear and won’t play against Leipzig. The Turkish-German player was loaned out after a year in the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion, where he scored eight times. He had previously scored 43 goalsin two seasons with Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. Undav is incredibly clinical with both feet as well as in the air.
Jamie Lewelling should also boost the attack, as he arrives on loan from Union Berlin. The 22 year-old attacking virtuoso can play in a variety of positions. The former German youth international is extremely quick and athletic, and is particularly good in one-on-one scenarios.

Departures

Stuttgart lost a true cornerstone of the club only a few days ago, as Wataru Endo, who most recently captained VfB, was lured to Liverpool FC. Endo also captains the Japanese national team. The defensive midfielder’s departure leaves a big hole in the number 6 position.
Tiago Tomás was another regular who needs to be replaced. The Portuguese striker, who contributed to six goals last season, has moved to VfL Wolfsburg. Tanguy Coulibaly (free agent) and attacker Luca Pfeiffer (on loan at Darmstadt) are other big names who are no longer at the club.

Key Players

The biggest scoring threat is Serhou Guirassy. The Swabians’ number 9 netted twelve goals in 22 appearances last term. He continued in the same vein against in the home win Bochum, scoring a brace. The Guinea international has already played in the Champions League for Stade Rennais and is extremely strong, nimble, and good on the ball. He is also an aerial threat.
Silas Katompa Mvumpa (Silas, for short) also scored twice in the curtain raiser against Bochum. The 24 year-old attacker plays down the right and is a powerhouse in every sense of the word. The Congolese winger is a threat on the counter with and without the ball due to hispace. Silas can create chances, as well as score himself.
Defensive general Waldemar Anton, who has established himself as a leader and a go-to-player over the past few seasons, is Stuttgart’s new captain. The 27 year-old is 6’2” and is equally comfortable going in for challenges on the ground and in the air.
Hiroki Ito forms the other half of VfB’s centre-back duo alongside Anton. The 24 year-old from Japan impressed last season, with his strong build-up play and aerial ability. Ito is left-footed and an absolutely key member of the squad.

Absentees

New attacker Deniz Undav picked up a partiallateral collateral ligament tear in training a couple of weeks ago and is therefore out for some time.
Nikolas Nartey is sidelined until the end of the calendar year at least. The midfielder was found to have cartilage damage in his knee after examination at the beginning of August.
German international Joshua Vagnoman is expected to be available again from the middle of September. The 22 year-old is unable to be selected just yet, owing to a metatarsal contusion.

You can find all of RBL’s latest team news here.

Coaches

Sebastian Hoeneß, who played for Hertha BSC II in the Regionalliga and had to cut his career short at the age of 28 due to injury, is one of the youngest Bundesliga coaches at the age of 41. Hoeneß, who also worked in the youth team at RB Leipzig from 2014 to 2019, made the leap into the Bundesliga via the U19s and later the second team at Bayern Munich.

TSG Hoffenheim presented the nephew of Bayern’s former general manager Uli Hoeneß as their newheadcoach for the 2020/21 season. After two years in the Kraichgau, Hoeneß left the club.

Since April of this year, the Munich native has been working in Stuttgart, undertaking his second assignment as a Bundesliga coach. Running the team five points clear of a non-relegation place, Hoeneß took charge of VfB with the club sitting in the relegation zone and five points from safety, before leading them on a five-match unbeaten run, stabilising the team and improving their tactical ability. In the end, Stuttgart managed to stay in the league and reached the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.

Under Hoeneß, VfB have mostly operated in a 3-4-2-1 or 4-5-1 formation.

RBL vs. VfB Results

Direct comparison:

8 wins, 2 draws, 0 defeats – 18-3 scoreline
5 home wins, 3 away wins
Top scorer: Dominik Szoboszlai (4)
Highest win: 4-0 on 20th August 2021 (Goals: Dominik Szoboszlai 2x, Emil Forsberg, André Silva)

The last five clashes

27th January 2023 | Bundesliga, Matchday 18: RB Leipzig – VfB Stuttgart | 2-1
7th August 2022 | Bundesliga, Matchday 1: VfB Stuttgart – RB Leipzig | 1-1
15th Januar 2022 | Bundesliga, Matchday 19: VfB Stuttgart – RB Leipzig | 0-2
20th August 2021 | Bundesliga, Matchday 2: RB Leipzig – VfB Stuttgart | 4-0
25th April 2021 | Bundesliga, Matchday 31: RB Leipzig – VfB Stuttgart | 2-0