1. Bundesliga
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Played
September 2, 2012 4:30 PM BST
Allianz-Arena — München
Referee:‬ T. Kinhöfer‎
Attendance:‬ 71000‎
 

Bayern Munich - Stuttgart Preview: Heynckes' side look to continue winning start against souther rivals

Bruno Labbadia's men will be aiming to bounce back from their opening weekend loss to Wolfsburg during the tricky trip to the Allianz Arena

By Enis Koylu

More On :  FC Bayern München, VfB Stuttgart, FC Bayern München vs VfB Stuttgart
Bundesliga: FC Bayern München - VfB Stuttgart, Mario Gomez & Thomas Müller - Maza
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  PROBABLE LINE-UPS

BAYERN MUNICH

Neuer
Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Can
Luiz Gustavo, Kroos
Robben, Muller, Ribery
Mandzukic
STUTTGART
Stuttgart
Ulreich
Sakai, Tasci, Maza, Boka
Kvist, Gentner
Harnik, Hajnal, Okazaki
Ibisevic

Bayern Munich are set to welcome back Emre Can into the starting line-up after the youngster sat out the 3-0 opening-day win over Greuther Furth.

He should take the place of Dante and slot in of the left-hand side of defence, with full-backs Rafinha, David Alaba and Diego Contento all nursing pre-season injuries.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is still struggling for fitness after a series of niggling injuries, but Toni Kroos, rather than €40 million signing Javi Martinez, will start alongside Luiz Gustavo in midfield. Franck Ribery is fine after missing the Furth clash with a virus, and will come in for Xherdan Shaqiri.

Mario Mandzukic will start up front as Mario Gomez continues his recovery from ankle surgery.

Despite a long-haul trip to Moscow for Europa League commitments, Stuttgart are set to name an unchanged side after Bruno Labbadia announced a host of changes for the clash with Dinamo.

Gotoku Sakai took Tim Hoogland's spot in at right-back for the midweek match, and is set to retain his spot alongside Serdar Tasci, Maza, and Arthur Boka.

In midfield, Christian Gentner will continue in the stead of Ibrahima Traore in the deep-lying positions, with Tamas Hajnal, Shinji Okazaki and Martin Harnik providing support for Vedad Ibisevic, who bounced back from his penalty miss against Wolfsburg by scoring against Dinamo.

Daniel Didavi remains sidelined with a long-term injury problem.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Bayern Munich played against Stuttgart three times last season, and triumphed on each occasion. Mario Gomez scored in all three encounters, but is injured for this clash.
  • Several Bayern players have represented Stuttgart, including Philipp Lahm, who enjoyed a loan spell there, Mario Gomez, and Holger Badstuber, who came through the club's academy.
  • The Bavarians triumphed over their southern rivals in the 1986 DFB-Pokal final with a 5-2 scoreline.
  • The last time Stuttgart were victorious at the Allianz Arena was in 2009-10. Bayern went on to win a domestic double, but were beaten by Inter in the Champions League final.
  • Vfb defender Georg Niedermeier spent a total of 14 years at Bayern before moving to his current club in 2009.
  • Stuttgart last won the Bundesliga in 2007-08, Bayern finished in fourth place - the last time they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • FC Bayern München 3-0 VfB Stuttgart
    21.91 %
  • FC Bayern München 2-0 VfB Stuttgart
    15.57 %
  • FC Bayern München 3-1 VfB Stuttgart
    14.73 %
Head to Head
1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Jan 27, 2013 VfB Stuttgart 0 - FC Bayern München 2
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Sep 2, 2012 FC Bayern München 6 - VfB Stuttgart 1
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Apr 28, 2012 FC Bayern München 2 - VfB Stuttgart 0
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Germany - DFB-Pokal ‎(GERC)‎ Feb 8, 2012 VfB Stuttgart 0 - FC Bayern München 2
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1. Bundesliga ‎(GER1)‎ Dec 11, 2011 VfB Stuttgart 1 - FC Bayern München 2
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Last Five Matches
FC Bayern München
May 18, 2013Borussia Mönchengladbach 3 - FC Bayern München 4GER1
May 11, 2013FC Bayern München 3 - FC Augsburg 0GER1
May 4, 2013Borussia Dortmund 1 - FC Bayern München 1GER1
May 1, 2013FC Barcelona 0 - FC Bayern München 3UCL
Apr 27, 2013FC Bayern München 1 - SC Freiburg 0GER1
VfB Stuttgart
May 18, 2013VfB Stuttgart 2 - Mainz 2GER1
May 11, 2013Schalke 04 1 - VfB Stuttgart 2GER1
May 4, 2013VfB Stuttgart 0 - Greuther Fürth 2GER1
Apr 27, 2013FC Augsburg 3 - VfB Stuttgart 0GER1
Apr 21, 2013VfB Stuttgart 2 - SC Freiburg 1GER1
Odds
Returns: Bayern £12.50 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £610.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: VfB Stuttgart £710.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
1Manuel NeuerGoalkeeper
4DanteDefender
17Jerome BoatengDefender
21Philipp LahmDefender
28Holger BadstuberDefender
7Franck RibéryMidfielder
30Luiz Gustavo DiasMidfielder
31Bastian SchweinsteigerMidfielder
39Toni KroosMidfielder
9Mario MandzukicStriker
25Thomas MüllerStriker
22Tom StarkeGoalkeeper
5Daniel Van BuytenDefender
11Xherdan ShaqiriMidfielder
38Emre CanMidfielder
44Anatoliy TymoshchukMidfielder
20Javi MartínezMidfielder
14Claudio PizarroStriker
1Sven UlreichGoalkeeper
2Gotoku SakaiDefender
5Serdar TasciDefender
2Francisco Javier RodríguezDefender
15Arthur BokaDefender
4William Kvist JörgensenMidfielder
7Martin HarnikStriker
20Christian GentnerMidfielder
30Tamas HajnalMidfielder
31Shinji OkazakiStriker
9Vedad IbisevicStriker
33Andre WeisGoalkeeper
6Georg NiedermeierDefender
3Cristian MolinaroDefender
13Mamadou Djouldé BahMidfielder
16Ibrahima TraoreMidfielder
17Tunay TorunStriker
18CacauStriker
Players to Watch
Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 25
Games Goals YC RC
28 13 0 0
After a largely frustrating campaign at both club and international level last season, Thomas Muller faces a critical season in his development as a footballer. Having rejected talk of a move away from the Allianz Arena over the summer, he seems to have since turned a corner, scoring a vital goal in the 2-1 win over Dortmund and getting the ball rolling in the 3-0 victory against Greuther Furth last week, and in a local derby at plenty at stake, he will be hoping to continue his renaissance on Sunday.
Martin Harnik
Martin Harnik
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 7
Games Goals YC RC
30 5 9 2
One player who always looks capable of producing something for Stuttgart, both as a goalscorer and as a creator is Martin Harnik. The Austrian was head and shoulders above the rest of his team-mates last season, and produced an enviable run of goalscoring form, and although he was largely anonymous in the loss to Wolfsburg, he will be absolutely vital to the visitors' chances of securing an unlikely victory against a Bayern side on top form.
Prediction
After having their pride hurt by a catastrophic end to last season, Bayern have well and truly hit the ground running this season with a string of impressive performances. Their new signings have blended in nicely, complimenting the squad they have available, and the absence of key players has not been an issue. Stuttgart meanwhile, have made a shaky start to the new campaign, and were in poor nick against Wolfsburg. Accordingly, I'd expect Heynckes' troops to secure local bragging rights with an easy victory.
Editor's Prediction
Bayern 3
VfB Stuttgart 1
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Stefan Kießling Stefan Kießling
Striker
Leverkusen 		25 4
Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski
Striker
Dortmund 		24 1
Alexander Meier Alexander Meier
Midfielder
Eintracht Frankfurt 		17 3
Vedad Ibisevic Vedad Ibisevic
Striker
VfB Stuttgart 		15 5
Mario Mandzukic Mario Mandzukic
Striker
Bayern 		15 0