Bayern vs Stuttgart: Hosts could face tricky test against newly promoted visitors

Topics: TV Schedules, Bayern Munich, Stuttgart, Bundesliga

Although they're now cruising along towards a ninth straight Bundesliga title, Bayern will need to be on their guard when newly promoted Stuttgart arrive at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Preview: Bayern vs Stuttgart

It's been a highly successful week so far for Bayern, to say the least. The Bavarian powerhouse easily swept aside Lazio and booked their spot in the quarter-finals, as many had expected them to do. In addition, three consecutive wins, coupled with RB Leipzig finally dropping points, has seen die Roten finally start to inch away from the chasing pack.

During their most recent league win, a 3-1 road result against Werder Bremen, Robert Lewandowski netted his 32nd goal of the season to bring him ever so closer to matching - and beating - Gerd Muller's nearly 40-year-old record. In addition, the 32-year-old Polish star has now pulled level with Schalke legend Klaus Fischer on the all-time goal-scorer's list, and should he net in this upcoming match, he alone will occupy second spot. The man ahead of him? Naturally, the same Gerd Muller he's hoping to beat his single-season scoring record this season.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart also have been in excellent form as of late. Pellegrino Matarazzo's side come into this tie unbeaten in their last five matches, with wins in three of those which sees them sitting in a very impressive eighth place. Die Schwaben, who secured their spot in the top flight after finishing second in the 2.Bundesliga, did manage to take an early lead against die Roten in the reverse fixture, only to be eventually overpowered thanks to goals from Kingsley Coman, Lewandowski, and Douglas Costa.

Curiously enough, Stuttgart have actually done much better in their travels than they have at home. So far, die Schwaben boast a record of W6 D3 L4 in their travels, versus W3 D6 L3 on their home turf. In fact, the only team to have won more away matches this season than Stuttgart is, not surprisingly, Bayern, who have picked up nine victories on the road.

And as Lewandowski chases a record of his own, Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic will be hoping to do the same. To date, the Austrian international has scored 13 times in his first ever Bundesliga season, and notably, has netted in seven straight games for his side. This has seen him match a 25-year-old record set by Fredi Bobic during the 1995/96 campaign, and should he score again on Saturday, he'll set a new club record.

Notably, Stuttgart have lost just once during his red-hot streak, while picking up four wins, so it goes without saying that his manager will certainly hope Kalajdzic will strike once again as Stuttgart seek what would be a shock win over a side they've only beaten once out of their last 17 meetings.

Team news: Bayern vs Stuttgart

Bayern: Tanguy Nianzou, Corentin Tolisso, and Douglas Costa remain out for the hosts.

Stuttgart: Lilian Elgoff, Clinton Mola, Orel Mangala, and Hamadi Al Ghaddioui will be unavaliable to Matarazzo for the trip to the Allianz Arena this Saturday.

Match facts: Bayern vs Stuttgart

Stuttgart striker Kalajdzic has scored seven times since the start of 2021. Only Lewandowski, with ten goals, has been more prolific since the start of the new year
Stuttgart are the second-most successful side in the Bundesliga in terms of away victories (six). Only Bayern, who have won nine on the road have done better
Bayern have won 16 of their 17 meetings with Stuttgart. Their sole loss was a 4-1 defeat during the 2017/2018 season - but they'd already clinched the league title
This will be Hansi Flick's 50th Bundesliga match. So far, he's posted a very impressive record of W39 D5 L5, which comes out to a winning percentage of 79.6
This puts him second in terms of most matches won among all Bundesliga coaches - both currently and in the past
The only manager to best his record is Pep Guardiola, who had a record of 80.4 per cent during his time at the Allianz Arena