Our next opponents: Right on course for Champions League

Position

Stuttgart's run of 11 Bundesliga games without defeat (W9 D2) ended in Bremen. Before that, coach Sebastian Hoeneß's men hadn't lost a competitive match since the DFB Cup quarter-final loss at the BayArena in February. And even that couldn't have been closer, with the Swabians twice taking the lead and Bayer 04 equalising twice before Jonathan Tah headed the Werkself to a 3-2 victory in the last minute - against one of the strongest sides the Black-and-Reds have faced this season.

In Bremen, however, Stuttgart found it unusually difficult early on. "The first half was one of our poorest halves of the season," said striker Deniz Undav. "We never really got into the game, every second ball went to the opponents," bemoaned the German international, who missed an early opportunity to give the visitors the lead. The chance conversion against a passionate Werder team also left a lot to be desired in the rest of the match, as Hoeneß pointed out in his analysis after the 2-1 reverse: "Bremen produced what we were missing today: efficiency and accuracy." Left-back Maximilian Mittelstädt was also critical: "We've always been at our best in recent weeks, but today we were some way off it."

That doesn't take away from the fact that VfB are enjoying a phenomenal campaign. Having been in the relegation playoff last season, the Swabians are currently well on course for the Champions League in third place. With four matchdays left, they're four points clear of fourth-placed RB Leipzig and six clear of Borussia Dortmund in fifth. The two pursuers go head to head on Saturday afternoon.

Personnel

Hoeneß's side are hit by the absence of Angelo Stiller, the man who keeps things ticking in the Stuttgart midfield, who's suspended for the trip to Leverkusen after collecting his fifth yellow card. The Munich-born midfielder "with extraordinary reading of the game", as Hoeneß put it, has provided balance and order to the Swabians' play in almost every match. The holding midfield pairing on Saturday is therefore likely to be made up of the equally indispensable Atakan Karazor and Enzo Millot, who normally plays in a more attacking role. On the wings, new German international Mittelstädt and Jamie Leweling have been first choice lately. Captain Waldemar Anton, the VfB player with the most minutes this season, and Hiroki Ito are the regular centre-back duo, with Leonidas Stergiou and Pascal Stenzel also options at the back.

In attack, there's no looking past goal-getters Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav as well as Chris Führich. The latter was not included in the starting line-up for the first time this season in Bremen, but came on at half-time to make his 100th appearance in all competitions for the club. VfB will be without injured defenders Dan-Axel Zagadou (cruciate ligament) and Josha Vagnoman (foot) in Leverkusen, as well midfielder Nikolas Nartey (fitness).

performers

What a strike duo! Undav, who netted his 17th goal of the season against Werder, and Guirassy, the second highest scorer in the Bundesliga with 25 goals, have a combined total of 42 goals - that's almost two-thirds of all Stuttgart's goals (68). Only once before have two players scored 17 goals or more for VfB in one season: Fredi Bobic (19) and Giovane Elber (17) in 1996/97, part of the famous "magic triangle" with Krassimir Balakov (13) at that time. Now it's Führich (seven) who completes a formidable trio. The 26-year-old - another recent German international in the VfB squad - has proven in both previous meetings with the Werkself this term that he's also pretty handy in front of goal, netting once in both the 1-1 draw in the league fixture as well as the 3-2 loss in the cup quarter-final.

The Swabians boast the fourth-best attack in the league after Bayern Munich (87), Bayer 04 (75) and Leipzig (69). Their average rate of 2.3 goals per game is the team's best in 40 years - it was the same in the 1983/84 campaign. Hoeneß's side is also strong defensively, though, with 36 goals conceded again putting them fourth in the division.

Problems

VfB have shown hardly any weaknesses this season, but the encounter at Bremen was an exception. In their tackling, passing and chance conversion, there was at times a lack of consistency and efficiency at the Weserstadion. "We have to accept this damper. Today we were one or two percent short," said sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth. While they've been a formidable force at home at the MHPArena, six of their seven leaugue defeats this term have come on the road.

Bayer 04 aren't exactly favourite opponents for the Swabians, either. The Werkself have recorded more competitive wins against Stuttgart (44) than against any other club (D22 L23). Of the last 25 competitive meetings between the two teams, VfB have managed a solitary win (1-0 at the BayArena in April 2018), while the Werkself have won each of the last six at home.

Prediction

Coach Hoeneß and goalscorer Undav said almost in unison after the match at Werder that they want to do better against Leverkusen. They'll certainly look at the dramatic cup tie at the BayArena in their preparation for the primetime clash on Saturday, with another even contest likely. First Leverkusen and then Bayern at home next week - VfB's next two fixtures certainly pack a punch. But the club can go into them fairly confident and relaxed, as they're already guaranteed at least fifth place, which is likely to be enough for a place in the Champions League next season. According to the current UEFA coefficient ranking, the Bundesliga will be given five slots for Europe's premier club competition.