Stuttgart vs. Bochum preview: Visitors eyeing first victory

Bochum will attempt to claim their first win of the Bundesliga season when they travel to the MHP Arena for Saturday’s meeting with Stuttgart.

Stuttgart

Stuttgart have struggled to match the heights of last season’s second-place finish, having won three, drawn four and lost three of their 10 matches. Sebastian Hoeneß’s side may have been relieved with the timing of the international window after they failed to win any of their final three matches before the two-week break.

Die Schwaben played out a goalless draw against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, before they slumped to a 2-0 loss in their Champions League clash with Atalanta. They fell to another defeat in their most recent outing against Eintracht Frankfurt despite mounting a late fightback. Josha Vagnoman and Nick Woltemade scored a goal apiece to reduce the deficit to one after Frankfurt had established a three-goal lead. Unfortunately for Stuttgart, it proved to be too little too late as they fell to their first home league defeat since October 2023.

They will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways on Saturday, especially as they have won their last two home games against Bochum by a combined 9-1 scoreline.

Team News

Stuttgart have been dealt a double blow after it was confirmed that Deniz Undav and El Bilal Touré have picked up injuries. The hosts are also without Jamie Leweling, Luca Raimund, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Anrie Chase and Ameen Al-Dakhil.

Bochum

Bochum are still searching for their first win of the season after drawing two and losing eight of their 10 league matches. As a result of that poor record, Bochum are languishing at the foot of the table with six points separating them from the relegation playoff spot and seven points keeping them from safety altogether.

Die Unabsteigbaren opted to sack Peter Zeidler after losing six of the first seven matches of the Bundesliga season. Markus Feldhoff and Murat Ural were subsequently placed in interim charge for two matches, overseeing a 5-0 loss against Bayern Munich and a 7-2 away defeat against Frankfurt. 

Fortunately for Bochum, a run of five consecutive defeats was brought to an end by their new permanent manager Dieter Hecking. After being appointed as Zeidler’s successor, Hecking kicked off his tenure with an encouraging 1-1 draw against champions Bayer Leverkusen. Koji Miyoshi netted an 89th-minute equaliser to rescue a precious point for his side.

Hecking will now be tasked with ending a run of six consecutive away league defeats since Bochum recorded a 4-3 away win over Union Berlin in May.

Team News

Manuel Riemann is back in training after the club lifted his length suspension. However, there are no signs that the experienced goalkeeper will be Bochum’s first-choice goalkeeper in the immediate future. Meanwhile, Monaco loanee Myron Boadu remains sidelined due to injury.