Hamburger SV have their Volksparkstadion back and definitely want to give their fans a win for the real dedication. The team also have to make up for the embarrassing 5-0 loss against Bayern Munich. Stuttgart start the journey with a lot of confidence and want to show a positive reaction after an unlucky 1-3 loss against 1. FC Köln on first matchday.
How went the opening day for both teams
Hamburger SV started their Bundesliga season with a brutal 5-0 loss in the opening match against Bayern Munich. In the first half, HSV looked very good. However, after a free-kick, the Rothosen conceded the 1-0 by a header from Medhi Benatia in 27th minute.
At half-time, coach Bruno Labbadia made a fatal mistake and changed the 4-3-3 into a 4-4-2 - which was definitely the reason why Hamburg conceded four more goals. A little surprise in Hamburg's line-up was the 20-year-old Gideon Jung, who featured for 90 minutes and played well against one of the best teams of the world.
VfB Stuttgart, on the other hand, lost 1-3 against 1. FC Köln on the opening day. The team were very unlucky against the Billy Goats, until the 75th minute Stuttgart was the better team, in fact. But a penalty by Anthony Modeste put effzeh ahead and only four minutes later the score was 1-2.
Simon Zoller increased the lead 0-2 in the 77th minute and just two minutes later, Daniel Didavi made it 1-2 after a penalty 1-2 after a penalty. But in the following and final ten minutes of the match Stuttgart were not able to score the equaliser. Yuya Osaka applied the finishing blow in the 90th minute.
Team news
The injured Jaroslav Drobny, who played 45 minutes in a friendly against Cagliari, will still be unavailable for the coach and so Labbadia picked Rene Adler and Andreas Hirzel for the upcoming match.
Johan Djourou was back in team training on Thursday and is also in the squad for the Stuttgart game, however it is unclear if the captain is available for the match. Michael Gregortisch, who took a blow to the feet during the week, will definitely feature.
Alexander Zorniger confirmed in Thursday's press conference that Serey Dié will be not available for the match. Otherwise, the rest of the team are fit.
Previous meetings
Last season both teams were embroiled in the relegation battle and so the two matches between those teams were very dramatic. On the 16th matchday, Stuttgart won 0-1 thanks to a goal from Florian Klein after a costly error from Valon Behrami.
In the return game the Swabians also had the upper hand, and won on the second last matchday with 2-1 - thanks goals from Christian Gentner and Martin Harnik.
Expectations
It is very difficult to decide which team will win. Hamburg played will last time out in the first half with good defending and a very structured line-up. On the contrary, Stuttgart were promising going forward, but couldn't find the crucial finish. If HSV can stay solid for 90 minutes, then they may have a chance. However, if they defend poorly and Zorniger's side take their chances, it could be a cricket score.