Bundesliga Preview: Dortmund Can Build Their Title Chase in Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart vs Borussia Dortmund

This year’s Bundesliga season may be the one many Borussia Dortmund fans have been praying for in about two to three years. The BVB are at the top of the league table while Bayern Munich are far from the top.

The current lay of the land in the German top flight has been the most exciting it has been in recent years and is giving Bundesliga fans plenty of entertainment and drama. Dortmund have made the most out of the early-season drama and have started settling down at the top of the table.

With their biggest rivals hoping to reset their form with a visit to the Volkswagen Arena, the BVB can focus on steamrolling through the rest of the Bundesliga. Their opponents, the lowly Stuttgart, will try to mount a fierce defence at the Mercedes Benz Arena in an attempt to stem the tide and get some much-needed points to get out of the relegation zone.

However, I don’t think even the players themselves believe that they can get three points from the BVB. With the way Lucien Favre’s football team has been playing as of late, I wouldn’t be surprised if we witness a one-sided rout of Die Roten.

Talking Points

Stuttgart eyes victory against Bundesliga leaders BVB? — Will Benjamin Pavard’s decision to stay in Stuttgart be enough for a good season?

It’s been a while since Borussia Dortmund have looked this good in October, and it’s a welcome relief for the neutral football fan that has grown tired of the hegemony Bayern Munich have established in this decade. All of the credit for the BVB’s flying start to the season can be rooted to the tactical genius of Lucien Favre.

The BVB have made a cracking start under the Swiss tactician, topping the Bundesliga 2018 results as the only team yet to suffer a loss. They have played an attractive brand of attacking football that saw them score 23 goals in only seven league games.

Like any football club, they have met early roadblocks. However, they managed to respond to those challenges with a confidence as flashy as their iconic yellow kits.

If we want to encapsulate how Dortmund operate under the Swiss boss, their incredible thriller against Augsburg is the game to go to. While they cannot completely snuff out every attacking threat that comes their way, their attack-focused XI makes sure that they will be able to bounce back and win the three points at the end of the 90 minutes.

The biggest man for the club at the moment is one of the smallest in the squad. Paco Alcacer is in top form for the BVB, scoring an outrageous number of goals (6) in only three substitute appearances. Favre would be crazy not to pick the Spain international for this game.

However, the Barcelona loanee isn’t the only star man for the club. One can make the argument that Axel Witsel is the most important coup of the summer window for the BVB due to the defensive stability and vision he provides from deep in the midfield. Players such as Marco Reus, Christian Pulisic, Manuel Akanji and Jadon Sancho have also ensured Favre that he will not run out of quality attackers.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart are at the bottom of the league after winning only one of their last five games. Mario Gomez is doing his best to score goals and carry Die Roten out of the early rut, but the early fixtures of the season has been tough on them.

Not everything is gloom and doom in the club, however. The rather young defensive line is doing everything they can to salvage the season, led by World Cup winner and Goal of the Tournament winner Benjamin Pavard.

After winning the biggest trophy in football with Les Bleus, there were countless offers from bigger clubs to pry him away. In a bizarre move by today’s standards, Pavard chose to stay.

“I haven’t forgotten that they came looking for me in Lille at a time when few people believed in me,” he told the French press.

It’s a beautiful sentiment for many fans, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some Bundesliga fans will be cheering him on as he struggles to keep Alcacer and the free-scoring BVB away.

History

This upcoming match will be the 100th tie between the two clubs, and the results of prior head-to-head fixtures give the edge to Stuttgart. Die Roten have won 39 games, with 27 of those at home. Meanwhile, the BVB took 36 and drew in 24 of them.

Their most recent results don’t look good for the Stuttgart vs Dortmund odds of the Stuttgart fan. Dortmund won eight of their last ten games, with their 6-1 thrashing of Stuttgart at the Signal Iduna Park in 2013 being their most outstanding performance.

Betting Tip

	VfB Stuttgart vs Borussia Dortmund	Borussia Dortmund Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.09
	October 20, 21:30 (GMT+8)

I don’t see any reason not to pick the BVB as the winners of the game. They haven’t lost a game in the Bundesliga and are on a five-game winning streak in all competitions. I don’t think Alcacer’s red-hot boots will stop scoring any time soon, and Reus will be more than ready to supply strikes of his own if the Stuttgart defence marks the Spaniard tightly. The Asian Handicap market at the SBOBET Bundesliga page has the best odds for this game.

If you believe that Stuttgart will be able to pull off a draw, Stuttgart +0.25 @ 2.47 is the way to go. Over 3.00 Goals is also an attractive option at 2.09. There’s a huge chance that a couple of goals will be scored in this contest, so 2-3 Total Goals is a worthwhile bet at 2.03.