Borussia Dortmund vs. Stuttgart: Key Issues That Will Shape Bundesliga Game
Borussia Dortmund will look to get back to winning ways against Stuttgart on Wednesday night, when they welcome the bottom-of-the-table side to the Westfalenstadion.
Under Armin Veh, the Swabians have looked void of any real sense of survival this season and will undoubtedly spend much of this year's campaign fighting within the bottom three positions in the league.
This should surely make for an excellent opportunity for Jurgen Klopp's side to get back to winning ways following another shock defeat in the league, this time to Mainz by two goals to nil on Saturday evening.
It's a must-win for Dortmund if they have any hope of catching Bayern Munich in this season's title race.
Here are the key issues that look set to shape this coming Bundesliga tie.
1. Stuttgart Are Desperate for an Upset
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Although Dortmund will indeed be near enough desperate when it comes to picking up all three points against Stuttgart on Wednesday night, we musn't forget that these weary travellers to the Westfalenstadion will be in a feverish mood for anything they can take.
Veh's side have picked up just one point this season, keeping them nailed to the bottom of the Bundesliga table, but they do have a somewhat checkered history with stealing points from Klopp's side.
Dortmund may have won the last three games between the two sides, but Stuttgart had in fact drawn the previous four games before that. If Veh's side want it enough, history would suggest that they can take a point from the title hopefuls.
2. Shinji Kagawa's Influence
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As was mentioned earlier in the week, recent signing Shinji Kagawa may well be forced to reclaim his role as playmaker-in-chief sooner than expected due to an unexpected football injury to current No. 10 Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Although Klopp should have a decent group of players to pick from in defence and attack, it's the hole between the two that will bother the coach with Kagawa really being the only remaining attacking midfielder left to play in such a role.
The Japanese international has, of course, enjoyed a bright return to life in Dortmund, scoring against Freiburg and then playing rather well against Mainz despite the result, but whether he's fit enough to lead this team so soon is another matter entirely.
3. Klopp's Forward Conundrum
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If there's one man who will be cursing the constant shifts and changes in fortune within the sport of football at this moment in time, it will be young striker Ciro Immobile.
After scoring a remarkable goal against Arsenal in the Champions League last week, the young Italian forward was then played out as the villain in Saturday's defeat to Mainz after coming on and missing the penalty that could have dragged his side back into contention.
Similarly, Adrian Ramos played the majority of the game doing everything right aside from putting the ball into the back of the net and was ultimately pulled off as Klopp lost patience.
Neither striker covered himself in glory that day, which now leaves Klopp with the trouble of picking between two forwards who look far from ready to lead the line.
4. Matthias Ginter's Resolve in Central Defence
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One haunting aspect of the defeat to Mainz on Saturday was the troubling performance put on once again by central defender Matthias Ginter.
The former Freiburg prodigy was signed this summer over a chorus of cheers from Dortmund fans, hoping they'd picked up a future German international regular. Yet in his first few games for the club we've seen nothing to suggest such a future lies in store for the 20-year-old.
Klopp will know that if he is forced to start Ginter on Wednesday night, Veh's team will undoubtedly look to take advantage of his lack of form and confidence.
Unfortunately, the new signing represents nothing but a notable weak point in the Dortmund defence at this moment in time.
5. The Revierderby Looms on the Horizon
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Despite all the injuries and selections woes that will undoubtedly bother Klopp to no end on Wednesday night, perhaps the biggest factor that will contribute to Dortmund's ultimate performance is how much the club hope to keep in reserve for this weekend's Ruhr derby.
This Saturday, Dortmund will make the short trip to Gelsenkirchen, where they will face Schalke in the first of the Bundesliga's most fiercely fought derbies.
Although Jens Keller's side are doing considerably worse than Dortmund at the moment, a loss in the Revierderby could really knock Klopp's side over in a season that already lies in the balance. Stuttgart are the immediate foe, but a much larger obstacle looms on the horizon for this side.
