The champions will have too much-attacking quality for Stuttgart, but clean sheets have been few and far between for Bayern over the last few weeks.
Pick:
Bayern Munich to Win ()
How to Watch Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart
| Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart Information |
| What |
Bayern Munich vs Stuttgart |
| Where |
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany |
| When |
Saturday, 20 March 2021, 10.30 AM EDT |
| How to watch |
Watch on ESPN+ here! |
Bayern Munich are in a familiar position as the finish line looms on the horizon – namely, top of the Bundesliga. A slender four-point lead over RB Leipzig means Hansi Flick’s side will not be celebrating just yet, but Bayern deserve to be odds-on favorites to finish on top of the pile, just as they have done in every season since 2012/13.
Stuttgart are enjoying a fine campaign themselves, and Bayern’s defensive record suggests a clean sheet could be beyond them here. A home win with both teams to score looks like the best bet for Saturday’s showdown at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Usually Come on Strong in the Final Months of the Season
A 3-3 draw with Arminia Bielefeld and a 2-1 defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt last month left Bayern Munich looking vulnerable in the Bundesliga title race. Borussia Dortmund tipped to be their main competitor for the crown last summer, may have been struggling outside the Champions League spots, but RB Leipzig were hot on Bayern’s heels. Julian Nagelsmann’s men, it was thought, could push the champions all the way.
They might still do that, but it now looks just as likely that Bayern will pull clear of the chasing pack and open up a commanding lead at the summit of the standings. Flick’s charges have won each of their last three matches in the German top flight, thrashing Koln 5-1, coming from two goals down to beat Dortmund 4-2, and triumphing 3-1 over Werder Bremen. Leipzig failed to beat Eintracht Frankfurt last time out and cannot afford many more slip-ups between now and the end of the campaign.
The scheduled meeting between Leipzig and Bayern in early April is hotly anticipated, and Flick will want to go into that match with the current four-point lead either intact or extended. The Bayern boss can draw confidence from the fact that his players know what it takes to get over the line in the Bundesliga title race, whereas Leipzig are still relative novices.
Bayern have nine games left this term. Last season, they won each of their final nine fixtures. The year before, they went unbeaten in their last nine. That experience and know-how will serve Bayern well in the coming weeks.
Editor’s Picks
Stuttgart Are Still in the Race to Qualify for the Europa League
Stuttgart are 22 points behind Bayern, but they are enjoying a good season too. Die Roten won a promotion from the 2. Bundesliga last term, finishing second behind Arminia Bielefeld in the second-tier standings. Survival was their aim going into the campaign, and many Stuttgart fans would have been content with a 15th-place finish. In fact, they sit eighth with nine rounds of fixtures remaining, having long since secured their top-tier status for another year.
Qualification for the Europa League remains a possibility. The top four in the Bundesliga qualify for the Champions League, with fifth place advancing to the continent’s junior competition. If Borussia Dortmund or RB Leipzig win the DFB-Pokal – both clubs are through to the semi-finals – then the sixth spot in the Bundesliga will also be enough for a place in the Europa League. Finishing seventh could also be sufficient.
Stuttgart are eighth right now, but sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen are just four points in advance of them. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men are still outsiders for the Europa League, but their firepower up front could see them reel in Leverkusen or Union Berlin. Stuttgart have scored 47 goals in their 25 games to date, which is a better return than both of those clubs and the same amount as RB Leipzig.
Bayern Should Win but Clean Sheets Have Proved Hard to Come By
Stuttgart are certainly productive in the attack, with only Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Bayern having outscored them this season. It is worth reflecting on the latter’s record, though, because it is so much better than that of any other team in the division.
Stuttgart have scored 47 goals, Frankfurt have registered 48 and Dortmund have notched 52. Bayern, meanwhile, have found the back of the net on 74 occasions. That is an average of 2.96 per game, which means they are on course to end the season with more than 100 goals to their name. Robert Lewandowski alone has outscored seven of the division’s 18 teams.
Yet while Bayern’s attack is arguably the best in European soccer right now, their defense has not always looked the most secure. Five teams have conceded fewer goals than the champions, whose backline has been breached 35 times. Stuttgart, down in eighth place, have only shipped two goals more than Bayern.
Clean sheets have proved particularly elusive in recent weeks, with Bayern having recorded none in their last five Bundesliga outings. They also failed to shut out Lazio in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie earlier this week. Stuttgart are dangerous in attack and have no reason to go into their shell against a Bayern team that has been far from solid this season. Flick’s side should emerge victoriously, but keeping Stuttgart quiet for 90 minutes will not be easy.
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