Stuttgart vs. Borussia Dortmund: Team News, Predicted Lineups and Live Stream

Borussia Dortmund travel to Stuttgart this evening with the very real chance of snatching a win and continuing the upturn in their dreadful form this season. 

Jurgen Klopp's side have looked like their old selves of late, with strong wins against Mainz and Freiburg and now find themselves out of the relegation zone and on the straight and narrow, heading right for redemption. 

Stuttgart, on the other hand, have stumbled lately with three defeats and no wins in their last five games. Any feel-good sensation that may have accompanied Huub Stevens' arrival in November has disappeared and the side face a very real, grim battle for Bundesliga survival. 

Date: Friday, February 20

Time: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart

TV Info: Not Available(U.K. only)/Not Available (U.S. only)

Live Stream: Not Available (U.K. only)/Gol TV live stream (U.S. only)

Form

Borussia Dortmund	Stuttgart
Mainz - win	Hoffenheim - loss
Freiburg - win	Bayern Munich - loss
Augsburg - loss	Cologne - draw
Leverkusen - draw	Gladbach - loss
Werder Bremen - loss	Paderborn - draw

Predicted Lineup

BR

Dortmund should expect to stick with the current winning formula, as Roman Weidenfeller sits behind a back line of Lukasz Piszczek, Marcel Schmelzer, Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels.

In midfield we'll stick with Ilkay Gundogan and Nuri Sahin, while Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa and Kevin Kampl play as the midfield unit behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 

For Stuttgart we can expect to see Sven Ulreich keep his spot in goals, while the back four looks to consist of Adam Hlousek, Georg Niedermeier, Timo Baumgartl and Gotoku Sakai. 

Geoffroy Serey Die and Oriol Romeu will undoubtedly look to shore up the midfield against Dortmund's best attacking threats, while Moritz Leitner plays through the centre of attack with Timo Werner on the left and Martin Harnik on the right. Leaving Vedad Ibisevic to play as the lone striker. 

Players to watch

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

If there is one unexpected star in this Dortmund team right now it's Gabon striker Aubameyang. The forward has walked into the team following the poor form of Ciro Immobile and wasted little time scoring and assisting with ease as Dortmund have turned their domestic form around. 

Usually played on the right wing of an attacking three, Aubameyang offers pace on the flank but also a cunning eye for goal. Dortmund have a willing winger in their ranks in this attacking forward but also a player who loves to score goals for fun too. 

Daniel Schwaab

In former Bayer Leverkusen defender Daniel Schwaab, Stuttgart hold a fleeting hope of keeping a clean sheet against a Dortmund side that have struggled to score enough goals in the Bundesliga this season. 

If the Swabians have any chance of stealing points from Dortmund it'll be through a strong defence, and with Schwaab in the central defensive role, there's always a chance that he can keep out Klopp's attacking force. 

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Key Battles

Marco Reus vs Daniel Schwaab

We're not yet sure whether Schwaab will play in a central role for Stuttgart or indeed return to a full-back position on the right wing, but either way he'll undoubtedly have his hands full with the attacking power of Reus. 

The Dortmund forward almost exclusively plays on the left of Klopp's attack and enjoys cutting inside, involving both the full-back and central defender before making his move. Either way, Schwaab will be going face-to-face with Reus and will have to bring his very best game against the German international. 

Ilkay Gundogan vs Moritz Leitner

Although these two sides differ greatly in quality and perhaps, ultimately, the manner in which this game will unfold, it's almost certainly worth watching simply through the battle that'll unfold between Dortmund and Stuttgart's midfield. 

At the heart of both teams you have Ilkay Gundgoan—the injured star who's desperate to rectify time missed off the pitch—as well as roaming playmaker Moritz Leitner, a former Dortmund youngster, who should undoubtedly relish playing against his old side. 

Regardless of the result or the manner in which this game unfolds, the midfield battle should be interesting. 

Odds (per Odds Shark)

Stuttgart - 26/5

Draw - 31/10

Dortmund - 4/6