VfB Stuttgart is welcoming FSV Mainz to the Mercedes Benz Arena in round 13 of the German Bundesliga. Stuttgart is in horrible form, and they are now on the brink of the relegation zone. Mainz is playing solid soccer this season, they are undefeated in their last 5 games, and they are in 8th place.
I was expecting so much more from Stuttgart before the season started, but all the injuries and bad luck have really ruined their season so far. Stuttgart is now in 16th place with only 10 points, 16 scored goals, and 22 conceded goals. Kempf and Mavropanos are the leading goalscorers for Stuttgart with 3 goals each. Sosa has added 3 assists. There are 7 players on the injury list for Stuttgart right now, and all 7 of them would probably be in the starting lineup for this team. Stuttgart has lost 4 games in a row, including the latest one against Borussia Dortmund. Stuttgart has had only 36% of ball possession in that game, 4 shots on goal, 3 corner kicks, 3 big chances created, and 81% of the correct passes. After they conceded a goal in the 56th minute, Stuttgart has tied the score in the 63rd minute, but they have conceded another goal in the 85th minute. Stuttgart has lost this game 2-1. There is still a lot of time for Stuttgart to pull themselves together, but I think they can forget about any of the European competitions for next season.
Mainz has been the complete opposite of Stuttgart, and they are playing well on both ends. With 18 points, 16 scored goals, and only 12 conceded goals in 12 games, Mainz is in solid 8th place in the standings. During their 5-game streak without a loss, Mainz has scored 10 goals, while conceding 6 goals. The bad news I suppose is they are conceding goals pretty consistently no matter how little of them. In their last game against Koln at home, Mainz has had 42% of ball possession, 2 shots on goal, 5 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and only 64% of the correct passes. This was a sloppy game for both teams, but they have each scored 1 goal, and the final result was 1-1. Burkardt is the leading goalscorer for Mainz with 6 goals, while Onisiwo added 5 assists. Mainz might not be the material for the Europa League, but they will stay far away from the relegation zone, and they might even reach the Conference League if they are lucky, but overall, I think everyone at Mainz is happy with their success so far. The trends are pretty even in this matchup, and while Stuttgart is the home team, Mainz is in far better form. Both teams are conceding goals consistently, which is why I will take at least one goal on each side.