Bundesliga: Werder Seek to Stunt Stuttgart Surge

VfB Stuttgart vs Werder Bremen

The Bundesliga is full of surprises this year, with Union Berlin finding it difficult to win and Leverkusen leading the pack. However, the most fascinating narrative is the incredible ascent of VfB Stuttgart.

Their meteoric rise has their striker Serhou Guirassy’s prints all over it. He has been a messiah at Stuttgart, virtually single-handedly lifting them to the upper echelon of the league table.

Werder are the next team to try to test Stuttgart’s strength after several other teams have failed to do so. With an injury-riddled defence and midfield for Ole Werner’s side, Guirassy might get the green light to go berserk from the opening whistle of the match.

Talking Points

Serhou Guirassy is HIM

The meteoric rise of Stuttgart this season has been honestly a head-scratcher for most fans who follow the Bundesliga. After being a relegation play-off team last season and a 15^th place finish in the 2021–22 season, Stuttgart find themselves rubbing elbows with the likes of Bayern Munich and Dortmund at the peak of the German top-flight standings.

After 12 games, Sebastian’s team has won nine games, two more than their total wins in the 2022–23 season. They did stumble a bit when they lost back-to-back games versus Hoffenheim and Heidenheim, but they quickly bounced back and are now riding a two-game winning streak coming into their match against Werder.

To whom do we credit their success this season? Well, there are a lot of factors, but the main catalyst is undeniably and unequivocally Serhou Guirassy. The 27-year-old French-Guinean has been possessed by the football gods this season and has been making historical strides with his goal-getting capabilities, ultimately boosting Stuttgart up the standings.

In just 10 games for VfB this season, Guirassy has already scored 15 goals, second only to Bayern’s Harry Kane (18) as the leading goal scorer in the Bundesliga. Thanks to Guirassy, Stuttgart is finally on the radar, headlining the Bundesliga 2023 news almost every Matchday.

With the capable Deniz Undav as his running mate, VfB have a formidable duo capable of carrying the team to a deep run this season in the German top flight. But the real test for Undav and Guirassy is yet to come, as they face a hefty December slate. Next month, Stuttgart will clash against Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16, then face Leverkusen and Bayern in the Bundesliga.

This will certainly be a tough task for the rising team, but with Guirassy’s current form, Stuttgart will surely show a good fight against any team in Germany.

Amos Pieper will undergo surgery

Unfortunately, Werder won’t be in full force when they visit Stuttgart due to their centre-back Amos Pieper’s injury. The German defender, who has 75 tackles for Werder this season, suffered a broken ankle during a training session on Wednesday.

The injury seems severe, as the 25-year-old centre-back would have to undergo surgery and would likely miss the rest of the year for recovery.

“This is terrible news for Amos. He will be operated on very soon, and we hope that he’ll be able to start his rehabilitation programme as quickly as he can. We’ll give him all the support he needs along the way, and hope that we can have him back in and around the team as soon as possible. However, we won’t be able to have him in our plans again until the new year,” Werder head coach Ole Werner stated.

Since their promotion to the top flight last year, Werder’s seasons have been satisfactory at best This year, they have just 11 points to their name after 12 games in the season. With just three wins so far, Ole Werner needs to figure out a way out of their perpetual mediocrity if they want to stay competitive in the top flight.

History

Historically speaking, these two teams have been on each other’s necks like two apex predators, ending in a stalemate. In their 35 past head-to-heads, Stuttgart won 13, Werder won 11, and they tallied a draw 11 times as well.

Fighting fire with fire is the main theme between these clubs, as they have been able to tally a whopping total of 124 goals in 35 matchups, which is probably why their over/under goals are priced the way they are.

In recent form, Stuttgart have had one of, if not the best, starts of their club’s history in the Bundesliga. After 12 games, VfB have tallied 27 points and find themselves in the third spot in the German top flight standings, besting German giants like Dortmund and Leipzig at this point in the season.

Meanwhile, it’s more of the same for Werder. Ole Werner’s team has only won three matches so far this season, placing themselves in the 12th spot on the table with 11 points. They’ve won just one match in the last five games, but were able to humble Union Berlin with a 2-0 clean sheet victory last month.

Betting Tip

All lines lead to the southwest of Germany, as the Bundesliga 2023 betting odds have Stuttgart as the clear favourites to claim the three league points when the smoke clears at MHPArena. But despite being the preferred team in this matchup, their 1X2 line should still be considered.

Unlike the other matches with heavy favourites in the Bundesliga, Stuttgart’s value at 1.41 is still a line that holds sufficient value and excitement to keep an eye on. With this, Werder are priced at 5.80, while the draw price is at 4.60.

The over/under lines suggest that this clash will be filled with goals, given that the even line is over/under 3.00. With over 3.00 goals for 1.81 at SBOTOP, this will surely be pondered by frisky and sharp punters. Both teams are very capable of finding the back of the net, garnering a total of 49 goals between the two teams after 12 games.

 

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