Bundesliga top scorer Luka Jovic faces stiff competition for a starting position as his Eintracht Frankfurt side visit struggling VfB Stuttgart on Friday night (kick-off: 8:30pm CET/7:30pm GMT/3:30pm ET).
Latest
Stuttgart remain rooted to the bottom of the table after just one win in their first nine games. Markus Weinzierl took over from Tayfun Korkut during the October international break, but has suffered back-to-back 4-0 defeats to Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim. Still searching for a first goal under the new coach, focus is naturally on striker Mario Gomez to break that duck, and he has an impressive record of eight goals in 16 Bundesliga matches against Frankfurt. On the personnel front, Emiliano Insua is suspended after his red card against Hoffenheim, but Dennis Aogo is back in training to offer an option on the left.
Eintracht, on the other hand, are one of Europe’s form teams with five wins in their last six competitive outings and an unbeaten run stretching back to September. That streak was severely tested last Sunday at Nuremberg, only holding thanks to an injury-time equaliser from substitute Sebastien Haller. The Frenchman is likely to return to the starting XI this time out in Stuttgart, meaning Jovic and FIFA World Cup runner-up Ante Rebic will be fighting it out for the other striker position. One piece of bad news for coach Adi Hütter is that summer signing Lucas Torro has suffered a setback in his recovery from a pelvic inflammation and will not be fit in time to play.
Match stats
Stuttgart are enduring their worst ever start to a Bundesliga season, with six defeats after nine games.
The Swabians have never before conceded 21 goals after the first nine league games.
Veteran striker Gomez has at least scored three goals and assisted one more.
Frankfurt’s four wins and a draw in their last five games in all competitions is matched only by Bundesliga leaders Dortmund.
Jovic is the top scorer in the league with seven, a record he shares with Dortmund’s Paco Alcacer.
With six goals and five assists, Haller has been involved in more goals than any player.
Probable line-ups
Stuttgart: Zieler – Baumgartl, Badstuber, Pavard – Maffeo, Gentner (c), Ascacibar, Castro, Thommy – Gonzalez, Gomez
Absentees: Didavi (Achilles), Insua (suspended), Kliment, Meyer (both knee), Donis, Kempf (both thigh), Sosa (pelvis)
Coach: Markus Weinzierl
Frankfurt: Trapp – Abraham (c), Hasebe, N’Dicka – Fernandes – da Costa, de Guzman, Gacinovic, Kostic – Haller, Rebic
Absentees: Chandler (knee), Geraldes (back), Paciencia (knee), Salcedo (ankle), Torro (pubic bone)
Coach: Adi Hütter