2013-2014 German Bundesliga Match Day 11: Borussia Dortmund v VfB Stuttgart [R]

2013-2014 Bundesliga Match Day 11









Borussia Dortmund






versus









VfB Stuttgart








Friday, November 1, 2013, Westfalenstadion, Dortmund - Kickoff: 8:30 PM CET





Friday night’s match between Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart matches the Bundesliga’s second placed team against the Bundesliga’s eighth placed team. Borussia Dortmund is coming into this match after a week to remember. There was a victory at Arsenal in the CL before a big victory in the 143rd Ruhr Derby over FC Scheisse 04 last Saturday. If you count the Hannover match the weekend before, the Derby victory, Borussia Dortmund is coming into this match on a three-match winning streak and having won six of its last seven matches.


VfB Stuttgart, on the other hand, comes into this match having drawn its last three consecutive matches against Werder Bremen in Stuttgart, at Hamburg against HSV and at home against 1. FC Nürnberg. However, no matter what their current form might lead you to believe, somehow, some way, VfB Stuttgart almost always finds a way to give Borussia Dortmund a real battle.


Borussia Dortmund won the last match between these two clubs by a 2-1 score back on March 30th at Stuttgart. Before then, the last four matches between these clubs all ended in draws. The last time VfB Stuttgart beat Borussia Dortmund was a 4-1 decision at Stuttgart on January 31, 2010. The last time VfB Stuttgart beat Borussia Dortmund at Westfalenstadion was back on March 13, 2005.


Reading the information, all signs point to another Borussia Dortmund victory. But remember. VfB Stuttgart almost always finds a way to make things hard on us. I think we’ll win, but a draw would not surprise me.


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Please be reminded the information below IS NOT OFFICIAL!!




Projected Borussia Dortmund Starting Lineup: Weidenfeller - Grosskreutz, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin – Aubameyang (Kuba), Mkhitaryan, Reus – Lewandowski

Projected Borussia Dortmund Substitutes: Langerak (GK) - Kirch, Durm, Sokratis, Hofmann, Kehl, Kuba, Ducksch, Schieber


Questionable For Borussia Dortmund: Kehl (possibly not match fit)

Out For Borussia Dortmund: Gündogan (back issues), Piszczek (recovering from hip and groin issues), Günter (red card suspension)

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Projected VfB Stuttgart Starting Lineup: Ulreich - Sakai, Schwaab (Haggui), Niedermeier, Boka - Kvist - Gentner, - Harnik, Maxim, Traoré – Ibisevic


Projected VfB Stuttgart Substitutes: Kirchbaum (GK) - Haggui, Molinaro, Rausch, Röcker, Funk, Khedira, Leitner, Rojas, Sararer, Torun, Abdellaoue, Werner


Questionable For VfB Stuttgart: Schwaab (ankle injury), Sakai (unknown)



Out For VfB Stuttgart: Cacau (torn calf muscle group), Rüdiger (red card suspension), Didavi (regaining fitness)







Referee – Florian Meyer






Friday’s match will be the 35th occasion Florian Meyer has supervised a Bundesliga match involving BVB. Last season, Florian Meyer was in charge of BVB’s 3-3 draw at Frankfurt, BVB’s 3-1 victory at Hoffenheim, and BVB’s 2-0 victory over Mainz at Westfalenstadion. BVB’s record under Meyer’s supervision is very good. In the 34 matches Meyer has supervised involving BVB, BVB has won 17, drawn 10 and lost just 7 times. Friday’s match will be Meyer’s 246th time in charge of a Bundesliga match.

Sideline Assistants: Christoph Bornhorst and Holger Henschel – Fourth Official: Michael Weiner



Players Nearing Yellow Card Suspension: Ibisevic (4)


Spectators: Westfalenstadion is sold out (80,645).

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Red cards picked up in the 2. Liga or 3. Liga also count for the 1. Bundesliga.

Since I don't pay any attention to Stoke, I can't answer this......

 

I guess this is why a like Robert Huth has kept a job there for so long.......

The matches with Stuttgart do get scrappy. However, I don't remember injuries to our guys happening any more often against Stuttgart than they do against anyone else.

But of course, this does not mean it does not happen. I just don't remember.

 

I think that was Schmelzer on an elbow from Niedermeier. But the same thing happened to Bender against someone else. I don't think it is anymore "rough" against Stuttgart than it is against, say, HSV........

 

I believe only fans think of this stuff. Stuttgart will try to win this match. I don't think they are going to knowingly play any rougher just because they know we've got a CL match coming up. They know we'll have that CL match our minds and they're hoping it gets us to play softer.

Which I predict we will not. The BL has always been BVB's focus. That didn't change just because we went to the CL Final last season. We're going to worry about Stuttgart today. We'll worry about Arsenal tomorrow.