FC Koln vs Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund to go for maximum points

This weekend, VfB Stuttgart will face an outstanding Borussia Dortmund team in a vital encounter at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. VfB Stuttgart is now 16th in the Bundesliga rankings and has had a difficult season thus far. The hosts defeated VfL Bochum 3-2 in last week's Bundesliga fixture and will aim to repeat the feat this weekend. Stuttgart pulled out of the relegation zone with a key win last weekend.

Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, is now second in the league table and has been brilliant this season. The team in Yellow and Black overcame Union Berlin 2-1 last week and will be optimistic going into this encounter. Borussia Dortmund kept the pressure on league leaders Bayern Munich.

The form and desire of Borussia Dortmund to win the fixture and put pressure on Bayern Munich makes the away side the favourite. 

VfB Stuttgart (LLDLLW)

Sebastian Hoeness has had an immediate effect as manager after Stuttgart decided to part ways with Bruno Labbadia for the second time in the club's history. The former Hoffenheim manager led Stuttgart through second-tier rival Nuremberg in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory before defeating fellow strugglers VfL Bochum on Sunday.

With Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04 both losing over the weekend, Stuttgart's second victory in their past 13 matches pushed them out of the bottom two spots, but they may find themselves back in severe jeopardy before taking on Dortmund on Friday night, with their two key opponents facing off.

VfB Stuttgart's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Bredlow; 

Defenders: Mavropanos, Anton, Ito; 

Midfielders: Vagnoman, Endo, Karazor, Millot, Sosa; 

Strikers: Guirassy, Führich

Borussia Dortmund (WWDWLW)

Borussia Dortmund will be looking to end the 11 years of waiting for the Bundesliga title and they will feel they have the chance due to the conflict within the Bayern Munich squad. Dortmund's eggs are now firmly in the Bundesliga basket after losing to another of their former managers (Marco Rose) in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals.

Dortmund has been accruing valuable points with their amazing late goals. This was evident and on display when Youssoufa Moukoko scored a late winner against potential title rivals Union Berlin last weekend. That win kept Borussia Dortmund just two points behind Bayern and firmly in the title picture at the expense of Union Berlin.

Borussia Dortmund's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Kobel; 

Defenders: Ryerson, Sile, Hummels, Guerreiro; 

Midfielders: Bellingham, Can, Brandt;

Strikers: Malen, Haller, Adeyemi

Head to Head (H2H)

Expert Betting Tips

Although Stuttgart is in a relegation battle, the loss has always been on a slim goal margin but that may change in this fixture. Borussia Dortmund has been scoring late goals recently to snatch valuable three points to put pressure on Bayer Munich. 

Borussia Dortmund has been in fantastic form this season and has been giving Bayern Munich a push for their money in the title battle. The historic data and form suggest a win for Borussia Dortmund and for odds over 2, it is worth taking. 

Potential scoreline includes 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, or 0-3. A couple of combinations can be extracted from this.

Below are the expert's bets to consider. 

• W2 for 2.235 odds (1xbet);
• BTTS for 1.764 odds (Coinplay)
• Over 2.5 goals for 1.61 odds (Bet365)