Slovan Bratislava welcome VfB Stuttgart to Štadión Tehelné pole on Wednesday 14 October, with kick-off at 20:00 UK. The hosts sit 35th of 36 in the league stage table with no points, while Stuttgart arrive 7th after winning their opening game. Slovan's first match ended in a 6-1 defeat in Paris, and the bookmakers have made the Germans heavy favourites.
Stuttgart's opener produced goals at both ends, a 3-1 home win over Viking.
Slovan Bratislava have lost only once in their last five matches, but it was a heavy one: PSG 6-1 Slovan on 9 September. Before that came a 2-1 win away at Celje, a 1-1 draw at home to Celje and two wins over Mjällby, 2-0 at home and a 2-1 success away. Across the season they have scored 1.57 goals a game and conceded 1.43.
Stuttgart's recent run is more mixed. They won 4-1 against Köln and 3-1 against Viking at home, then lost 2-1 at Hoffenheim and 0-1 at home to Dortmund. They bounced back on Saturday with a 2-0 win at Paderborn. In the Champions League they scored three against Viking, and the game went over 2.5 goals with both teams scoring.
Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:
Takac; Blackman, Bajric, Markovic, Pokorny; Martinez, Cruz, Mustafic; Barseghyan, Camara, Sporar
VfB Stuttgart possible starting lineup:
Seimen; Vagnoman, Jeltsch, Hendriks; Leweling, Promel, Stiller, Fuhrich; El Khannouss, Demirovic, Undav
Suleiman Camara is Slovan's most dependable shooter. He has had at least one shot in each of his last five games, with an average of 1.8, and bet365 offer 1.30 on a shot here. He also looks a name for fouls, with 2+ at 3.25.
Finn Jeltsch has made at least one tackle in four of his last five, and that is 1.25 at bet365. The fouls market is the more interesting one: 2+ fouls is 3.75, and 1+ is 1.57.
Grischa Prömel has committed a foul in four of his last five and is 1.33 for one here. His midfield team-mate Chris Führich has made a tackle in four of his last five too, with 1.29 on offer.
Ramon Hendriks is 1.67 for a foul, and referee Irfan Peljto's two games this season have averaged 19.5 fouls, which suits the foul markets.
The bookmakers have Stuttgart at 1.30 with bet365 to win, while Slovan are 9.50 at BoyleSports and the draw is 6.50 at Coral. Stuttgart's league-stage form and Slovan's goals conceded point the same way, and the interest here is on the player markets.
| Market | Best price | Statz chance |
|---|---|---|
| Slovan Bratislava to win | 9.50 (BoyleSports) | - |
| Draw | 6.50 (Coral) | - |
| Stuttgart to win | 1.30 (bet365) | - |
| Both teams to score | 1.67 (Ladbrokes) | - |
| Over 2.5 goals | 1.33 (bet365) | - |
We expect Stuttgart to take the points in Bratislava, with goals at both ends given how each side's games have gone. Our prediction is Slovan Bratislava 0-2 VfB Stuttgart.
For a four-leg combination, the shots and fouls markets give: Camara 1+ shots, Führich 1+ tackles, Jeltsch 1+ tackles and Prömel 1+ fouls, which together come to 2.79.