With the last of 2025’s international breaks now in the books, attention turns back to club football and Matchday 11 in the Bundesliga. On Saturday afternoon third place Borussia Dortmund host fourth place Stuttgart at the Westfalenstadion.
Die Schwarzgelben will be eager to return to their own stomping ground for the first time in almost a month, after four consecutive away games yielded mixed results. Niko Kovač’s men advanced to the last 16 of the DFB Pokal after a penalty shootout victory in Frankfurt, and they followed up that triumph with a disciplined 1-0 win at Augsburg. A tough night then followed at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League before Hamburg delivered a last-gasp sucker-punch equaliser to earn a draw at the Volksparkstadion.
Stuttgart boasts a fantastic recent record against the men from the Ruhrgebiet, having not tasted defeat in their last six meetings and winning the last five. They have been in very solid form recently too, especially in the Bundesliga. The only time they have failed to win in their last seven league games was the 3-1 defeat to second placed RB Leipzig, though Die Schwaben can consider themselves a little hard done by to come away from the Red Bull Arena with nothing.
Saturday’s encounter will pit two of the Bundesliga’s biggest goal threats against each other, with Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav both likely to start. The former has not yet hit the heights of the past two seasons thus far this campaign, though he is Dortmund’s top scorer in the league with five goals to his name. Kovač’s team have not been as potent in front of goal as he would like, but thanks to their excellent defensive record they have managed to compensate for this. Kovač spoke of the need to improve in the final third in his pre match press conference: “We are very self-critical. We need to improve going forward. That includes all the guys. There are areas where we need to work on the details.”
Visiting manager Sebastian Hoeneβ is aware of the challenges his side face in travelling to the Westfalenstadion, a place that has become a fortress again for Dortmund since Kovač took charge. BVB have won nine and drawn one of their last 10 home Bundesliga matches. Hoeneβ explained: “We’re looking forward to the game because we get to compete against a top team, playing in Dortmund is one of the most demanding challenges in the Bundesliga.”
Heaping praise on his opposite number, Hoeneβ added: “Borussia Dortmund has had a very good start to the season and possesses a lot of quality. Niko Kovac has managed to get the team back on track and is ensuring that the squad is pushing forward.”
In terms of team news for both clubs, neither Guirassy nor defender Ramy Bensebaini travelled for their respective countries over the international break but should be available for selection. For Stuttgart, Luca Jaquez and Ramon Hendriks are both doubts, alongside Ermedin Demirović who is still sidelined with a foot injury.
With both sides entering the weekend in good form and plenty at stake in the chase of leaders Bayern Munich, Saturday’s clash promises to be one of the standout fixtures this weekend.
