
VfB Stuttgart vs. Bayern Munich: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Bayern Munich take on a revitalized Stuttgart side on Saturday as they look to move one step closer to clinching the Bundesliga title. Pep Guardiola's men have a five-point lead atop the German domestic table, with just six matches remaining.
The match comes at an inconvenient time for Bayern, between the two legs of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie with Benfica. The Munich giants earned a 1-0 home win in the first leg on Tuesday, but they will need to be wary ahead of their trip to Lisbon next week. Thus, Guardiola may have a few tricks up his sleeve in the likely event that he opts to rotate his lineup or modify his tactics for Saturday's fixture.
When the two sides met in November, the Swabians were stuck in the relegation zone and sunk to a 4-0 loss. They fell as low as dead-last in the table a few weeks later, but Jurgen Kramny has done a brilliant job to steer his side back to safety after his appointment to replace Alexander Zorniger as head coach. Stuttgart climbed as high as 10th, and now sit 12th in the league table. Stuttgart are not yet safe, but a positive result would go a long way towards building confidence and qualifying them for a spot in the 2016-17 Bundesliga.
It will be a tough task for Stuttgart, who earlier this week learned that Serie Die will miss the rest of the season due to an injury sustained in their 2-2 draw with Darmstadt last weekend. Sporting director Robin Dutt described the news (via the club's official website) as "a bitter blow," especially following recent injuries to other key players like Kevin Grosskreutz and Daniel Ginczek. But Stuttgart will have to do their best without a full squad, just as Bayern will need big performances from their fringe players as Guardiola rotates his starters.
Date: Saturday, April 9
Time: 2:30 p.m. BST/9:30 a.m. ET/3:30 p.m. local time
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart
TV Info: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. only), Not available (UK only)
Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S. only), BT Sport Europe (UK only)
Form Guide
| Stuttgart | Bayern |
| Darmstadt: Draw | Benfica: Win |
| Bayer Leverkusen: Loss | Eintracht Frankfurt: Win |
| Ingolstadt: Draw | Cologne: Win |
| Hoffenheim: Win | Juventus: Win |
| Monchengladbach: Loss | Werder Bremen: Win |

Team News
Stuttgart
Most teams play Bayern with a five-man defense, and Stuttgart will likely do the same. Kevin Grosskreutz, Serey Die, and Daniel Ginczek will miss out on the match due to injuries.
Possible Stuttgart starting XI: Tyton; Klein, Sunjic, Schwaab, Niedermeier, Insua; Rupp, Gentner; Didavi, Werner, Kostic.
Bayern Munich
Arjen Robben, Medhi Benatia, Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng have all been ruled out of action for Bayern. Pep Guardiola may opt to rotate his starting lineup between the two Champions League legs against Benfica, so the Stuttgart match may bring opportunities for fringe stars.
Possible Bayern starting XI: Neuer; Lahm, Kimmich, Martinez, Alaba; Rode, Alonso; Coman, Gotze, Costa; Lewandowski.
Players to Watch
Timo Werner is one to watch from Stuttgart's perspective, the young striker having long showed enormous potential. But Daniel Didavi is the key attacking player for the Swabians; his creativity and finishing have been hugely beneficial in helping lift his side out of the relegation zone.
Mario Gotze was resurgent for Germany during the international break and will look to finally make a breakthrough for Bayern. As well, the match could be a big one for other fringe players like Sebastian Rode and Kingsley Coman.

Key Battles
Daniel Didavi vs. David Alaba
Didavi has been Stuttgart's best player this season, and the Swabians will surely miss him after he joins Wolfsburg this summer. With pace and good dribbling ability, he can be a real menace on the counter and will look to find gaps between the Byaern defenders in transition.
Alaba is a fearsome defender opposite Didavi, exactly the kind of player Bayern will need to shut down Stuttgart's best attacker. The Austrian has fantastic defensive skills but will surely look to press into the midfield and keep his opposite on the back foot.
Robert Lewandowski vs. Georg Niedermeier
Lewandowski has repeatedly proved to be Bayern's man to provide the goals when they've been operating with little rest, and of his side's probable starters, he'll enter the match the most in-form. The Polish forward has made the difference time and time again, and he will look to pull further clear of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the race for the Bundesliga's top scorer award
Niedermeier is a native Munich man and an ex-Bayern youth player who will be particularly motivated as he takes on his former club. The 30-year-old is an aggressive defender who isn't shy to put in a crunching challenge, and he brings plenty of muscle to the Stuttgart defense. He's the hosts' best chance of keeping Lewandowski quiet.
Odds (courtesy of Odds Shark)
Stuttgart: 4-1
Draw: 333-100
Bayern: 4-7

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