The headline fixture in gameweek seven of the Bundesliga this weekend will come from the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening, when Bayern Munich will lock horns with Stuttgart.
Bayern went into the international break holding pole position in the league standings with 14 points after the first six matches, while Stuttgart are in eighth place with nine points so far.
Match preview
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After being dethroned by Xabi Alonso's side last season, Bayern Munich's quest to return to the summit of German football has begun positively, as they now prepare to enter matchday seven as one of only two sides that are still unbeaten this term.
However, the Bavarians did experience a slight dip in form heading into the international break, drawing their last outing 3-3 away to Eintracht Frankfurt, which was their third consecutive match without victory.
During that time, Vincent Kompany's side played out a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen before losing to Aston Villa in the Champions League, meaning they are now on their longest run without a victory since April 2023.
Notably, Bayern have already let in seven league goals this term, and while that record may not seem like a cause for alarm, they have only conceded as many at this stage of a season once in the last 15 top-flight seasons.
Nevertheless, while there is room for improvement, the hosts still have an excellent record at home, with eight wins, one draw and just one loss suffered in their last 10 league games dating back to mid-January.
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While Bayern have been the dominant side in this fixture over the years, Stuttgart did win the last encounter 3-1 in May, and are now looking to win consecutive games against the Bavarians for the first time since 2007.
However, Die Roten have found wins hard to come by this season, managing just two in their first six league games, which is less than half the number they posted at the same time last season (five).
Leading up to the international break, Stuttgart recorded three consecutive draws, two of which came in the Bundesliga, and failure to win this match would mark the first time the side has gone three games without victory since Sebastian Hoeness's arrival last April.
The one major positive for the visitors, though, is that they have been good in front of goal, netting 15 goals already this term, with five coming from Ermedin Demirovic, who is joint-second in the leading goal-scorer standings behind Omar Marmoush.
Stuttgart now hold the longest active scoring run in the top-flight, having found the back of the net in 22 consecutive matches, which is also the club's second-longest streak in the division ever.
Team News
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Harry Kane has now gone over 350 minutes without scoring for club and country, marking the longest period the England captain has failed to register a goal since joining the Bavarians last year.
Still, Kane should continue to lead the line here and will likely be joined in attack by Michael Olise and Thomas Muller, with Jamal Musiala unlikely to be risked after aggravating a hip injury in the side's last match.
Other notable absentees for the Bavarians this week include Sacha Boey (knee), Josip Stanisic (knee) and Hiroki Ito (metatarsal fracture), while Dayot Upamecano has reportedly resumed training and could make a return to the squad.
Stuttgart would have been sweating over the fitness of Deniz Undav after he sat out Germany's match against the Netherlands with a muscle problem, but the forward was cleared as fit on Tuesday and will be available this weekend.
However, the visitors still have a fairly lengthy casualty list which features the likes of Chris Fuhrich, Luca Raimund, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Justin Diehl, all of whom are out until at least next month, while Leonidas Stergiou and Nikolas Nartey are flagged as doubts.
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Kimmich, Dier, Kim, Davies; Pavlovic, Palhinha; Gnabry, Muller, Olise; Kane
Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Nubel; Stenzel, Rouault, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Millot, Woltemade, Leweling; Demirovic
We say: Bayern Munich 2-1 Stuttgart
After three consecutive matches without a victory, the international break may have come at just the right time for Bayern, who will know that getting a result here will be crucial to helping them rebuild some much-needed momentum ahead of their trip to Camp Nou in midweek.
While Stuttgart are likely to pose a significant challenge, their away form has not been great during the early season, and we feel that the Bavarians will be able to edge them to the three points in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
