Stuttgart – RB Leipzig

The guests will show more class and break their losing streak

While Bayer are pulling out victories in the final minutes of their games and Bayern are slipping in the race for the "pharmacists", quite interesting events are taking place in the "second echelon" of the standings. Ambitious Bundesliga teams will have to fight very seriously for the third and fourth final positions, which give the right to participate in the Champions League 2024/2025. Already the circle of contenders for the two coveted spots has already been outlined. It includes Stuttgart, Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht and Freiburg. Given the results of the first round, the centrepiece of the nineteenth round will be Stuttgart, where the direct rivals will meet. The hosts are currently third with 34 points. Leipzig are one point behind, but January for the "Bulls" began in such a way that victories are needed not only to strengthen the position in the championship, but also to gain confidence in the players in their abilities. Bookmakers have not determined the favourite of the upcoming meeting, offering approximately equal odds on their victory. Stuttgart has become one of the discoveries of the current season. Approximately the same unexpectedly high level of play in the last championship gave Union Berlin and Freiburg. At the same time, these clubs had enough for the whole season, which led the capital's team to the Champions League. In the case of Stuttgart, the fairy tale ended in December, and in January it turned into a nightmare, expressed in defeats to Borussia Gladbach and Bochum. The end of last year was certainly a successful one for Leipzig and will give its players an extra boost of confidence for the first match of 2024. In the Champions League, the Bulls lost only to Manchester City, coming out of the group in a solid second place. In the Bundesliga, the last four rounds of 2023 brought Leipzig ten points out of a possible twelve. Moreover, the Bulls beaten during this period included a principal rival and competitor in the face of Borussia Dortmund. The new calendar year started for Leipzig with disastrous home defeats to Eintracht and Bayer. The second one was especially painful, as the Bulls beat the Leverkusen club in the course of the match. We bet that the guests will correct the mistakes of recent meetings and achieve a positive result.