Stuttgart take on the visitors Hamburger in the first leg of German Bundesliga relegation play out. The match will be played on Thursday, June 1st at Mercedes-Benz Arena (Stuttgart)
Stuttgart finished in 16th place in the Bundesliga this season and are now forced to defend its position in German football's elite through playoff matches against a representative from the second Bundesliga. Not too long ago, in the 2018/19 season, Stuttgart had a negative experience in the playoffs and is unlikely to want to repeat the fate of that two-legged confrontation against Union Berlin. The Swabians had every chance to avoid such a scenario if they had defeated Hoffenheim at home in the final round, but in the end, Sebastian Hoeneß's team played to a draw (1-1). In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart won five matches at home, drew six times with their opponents, and lost six matches with a goal difference of 23 scored and 22 conceded.
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Hamburger finished in third place in the second Bundesliga and will now attempt to break into the ranks of Germany's strongest teams through the playoff matches. The Dinosaurs were very close to direct promotion to the Bundesliga, as they defeated Sandhausen away in the final round (0-1), while their direct competitor, Heidenheim, was losing to Regensburg until the 93rd minute but eventually secured a victory with a score of 2-3, surpassing Hamburg in the table by one point. Tim Walter's team became the best away team in their division. In seventeen away matches, the citizens won nine times, drew three times, and lost five matches. They scored 32 goals and conceded 25 during this period.
Both teams in the current season have not been particularly reliable in terms of defensive fortifications but possess sufficient attacking potential. Since Hennes' appointment, Stuttgart has greatly improved in their creative play and has been exchanging goals with their opponents in all competitions for nine matches in a row. Hamburg has shown a similar tendency in five out of their last six matches. Moreover, if we look at their head-to-head meetings, we can see that they regularly exchange goals with each other (8 matches). According to bookmakers, Stuttgart is the clear favorite in the home match, which, in my opinion, is not entirely accurate and obvious. Hamburg is not far behind their opponent and is capable of offering serious resistance despite being the away team. However, in my view, the most logical bet here would be both teams to score since there is no special incentive for the teams to worry about the number of goals scored or conceded due to the abolishment of the away goal rule. My prediction: both teams to score.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score.
