61
4:50 p.m
Leverkusen have to do something. Hincapié brings some aggressiveness into play with a sliding tackle. Wirtz’s art of playing should help with this.
60
16:49
Substitution at Bayer Leverkusen: Florian Wirtz
60
16:49
Substitution at Bayer Leverkusen: Mitchel Bakker
60
16:49
Yellow card for Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen)
57
16:47
Tooor for VfB Stuttgart, 1-0 through Serhou Guirassy
Take a deep breath for the VFB! Guirassy lobs the ball very briefly from the penalty spot, while Hrádecký jumps into the right corner. But the ball was hit so loosely that the Finn can stop with his hands and almost blocks the ball with his foot. In the end, however, it is enough for the ball to tumble over the line and into the net to make it 1-0!
56
16:46
To make matters worse, Exequiel Palacios injured himself in the action, so it took a while to take the penalty.
55
16:45
Now there is penalty for Stuttgart! After playing with Tiago Tomás, Vagnoman dribbles into the sixteen and is blocked, but Endo follows up. Palacios expects that a bit too late and catches the Japanese!
53
16:42
The Werkself lure Stuttgart out of defense again, give up possession and are relatively deep. But nothing goes forward.
50
16:41
Yellow card for Mitchel Bakker (Bayer Leverkusen)
A little later, however, Bakker is warned for bumping into Vagnoman on the halfway line.
49
16:41
Vagnoman demands a penalty. However, Willenborg remains very relaxed and indicates to the full-back that he wants to get up again. The repetition bears him out, as this was a standard duel between Vagnoman and Tah.
47
16:37
Adli’s first shot attempt after Frimpong successfully followed up. However, he is blocked at the edge of the penalty area.
46
16:36
It continues in Stuttgart without a change. But looking at the Bayer 04 bench, there is another 20-year-old super talent who could bring the decisive creative moments if the game went in the same way. But Stuttgart still has some offensive forces in the squad that could tilt the game on their side.
46
16:35
Kick-off 2nd half
45
16:20
Mid-term conclusion:
There is no overtime at the break and that says a lot about the 0-0 draw between VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen. The guests dominated possession for a long time because Stuttgart withdrew far. The focus for both sides was always on a defensive zero, which is why the Werkself only took few risks in the offensive game. This meant few chances and even fewer shots as Sardar Azmoun and Wataru Endo missed the ball at their best. So the goalless draw is perfectly fine so far and we’re hoping for more risk-taking.
45
16:17
Suddenly Azmoun is in firing position but fears getting blocked on completion. That’s why he puts the ball back briefly with his outside instep, but Diaby can never reach this deposit. Clarify the Swabians.
43
16:15
Frank Willenborg has already whistled at one or the other scene with a lot of physical effort against the Stuttgart team. Mostly it was running duels in which Hincapié, Tapsoba and Co. got the upper hand. Of course, that annoys the viewers.
42
16:13
The game has visibly shifted. In the meantime, it is VfB who keep the ball alive in their own ranks and look for gaps.
39
16:11
Several flanks fly in front of the Leverkusen goal. Finally, it’s a short corner to Endo, whose header rushes wide of the unoccupied far right post.
37
16:08
First of all, the Werkself have to be careful at the back. Azmoun clears two crosses with his head.
36
16:07
VfB seems a bit more dangerous and appears more often in the opposing half. Angry tongues would claim that a counterattack by Leverkusen is not far away.
35
16:06
Next shot, this time on the other side. Guirassy has a little too much space to shoot 17 meters in front of goal and just chases the ball over the goal to the right!
33
16:05
At least once again an attempt at a conclusion. Adli crosses from the right far left into the penalty area, where Bakker takes full risk and hits the ball completely wrong when he takes it direct. So here he joins the other players on the field, so to speak.
30
16:01
Unfortunately, even after half an hour, the game does not want to pick up the pace that would be necessary to overcome the respective defenses.
26
15:58
While Tiago Tomás is down, Bakker can pick up speed on the left. However, the cross is then intercepted by the opponent’s defensive legs.
25
15:57
Actually a good free kick from Demirbay, who sends Tapsoba into the penalty area. However, the Burkinabe passes the ball. That seems to be a theme of this game.
23
15:54
Misunderstanding with Karazor, who plays the ball steeply and thus directly to Hrádecký. Guirassy looks rather irritated.
22
15:53
It is also true that under Alonso, Leverkusen have rarely played the role of an oppressive team that finds solutions against a low-lying opponent. Most of the time it’s about overcoming advanced opponents with fast attacks. VfB doesn’t offer enough space for that.
19
3:50 p.m
In a direct duel with Frimpong, Silas gets the first corner kick for the Swabians. Tiago Tomás hits the ball straight to Tah’s head, but Ito volleys it to clear the ball. The Japanese does not hit the ball optimally and so the ball jumps a good distance to the right.
17
15:48
First chance for Stuttgart! Similar to Azmoun’s opportunity, the cross comes from the left giving Endo some space in the back but he too misses the ball!
17
15:48
And so the game drives on a little. Nobody wants to fall behind here. Especially at VfB, this could have catastrophic consequences. But Leverkusen is also warned because Wolfsburg was able to pass yesterday. In an emergency, one point is better than none.
14
15:46
Silas accidentally steps on Frimpong’s foot as Frimpong takes the ball from him. But after taking a deep breath, he can walk away from the pain. Katompa Mvumpa also gets away without a warning because there was no malice involved.
12.
15:44
Except for the two excursions into the sixteen of the home side, the team with the red chest ring is tight at the back. This is very concentrated work against an opponent who is carefully looking for gaps.
9.
15:40
It’s very little possession of the ball that Stuttgart has gotten so far. This can very quickly degenerate into constant pressure.
8th.
15:40
First big chance for Azmoun! Before that, Diaby moves to the left and crosses directly in front of the goal. At the first post, Azmoun only touches the ball lightly, which is why the ball misses the target and Frimpong is wrongly positioned at the back!
6.
15:38
Good cross from Demirbay to the left baseline to Bakker. He would certainly like to get the ball on goal, but in the end the angle is too acute. The ball jumps out.
4.
15:36
In the first few minutes, VfB presented themselves defensively, waited and let Bayer look for gaps. They calmly play the ball from one side to the other.
1.
15:31
The game in Stuttgart begins with a chic delay. The Swabians toast in front of their own fans. Let the wild ride begin!
15:28
The teams step out onto the pitch from the improvised player tunnel in the middle of the Mercedes-Benz Arena construction site. It will not be long!
15:21
Frank Willenborg traveled from Osnabrück to Stuttgart to referee this game. Line judges Guido Kleve and Arne Aarnink will assist the 44-year-old secondary school teacher.
15:07
In the first leg, the tactics of the still relatively young coach Xabi Alonso seemed to be getting better and better. Thanks to a defensively stable and patient performance, the Werkself won 2-0. Moussa Diaby took the lead before Jonathan Tah doubled it up from a corner just before the end.
15:02
Xabi Alonso rotates four positions compared to the Europa Leauge appearance. Odilon Kossounou and Robert Andrich are both injured, while Florian Wirtz and Adam Hložek are on the bench. The quartet is replaced by Mitchel Bakker, Kerem Demirbay, Sardar Azmoun and Amine Adli.
14:55
Sebastian Hoeneß changes twice after the bitter defeat in Berlin. Atakan Karazor returns to the team after serving a yellow card suspension. Also, Silas Katompa Mvumba starts in attack. Enzo Millot and Genki Haraguchi only watch for this at first.
14:48
At Bayer Leverkusen, the following applies: After the Europa League semifinals is before the Europa League semifinals. Everything revolves around the international competition and yet the Werkself have suffered two setbacks recently. In the Rheinderby, Bayer 04 lost to Cologne despite being brought forward and on Thursday there was an unfortunate defeat at Roma. Now the focus has to be put back on the league to at least secure sixth place. Can Leverkusen withstand the pressure?
14:39
The situation is getting worse in the table cellar. After VfB lost the direct duel with Hertha BSC last week, they suddenly slipped back into the relegation zone despite their generally good form. The pressure was increased yesterday because Bochum beat Augsburg. The Swabians can look at the situation positively. Stuttgart is now in 17th place, but still only one win is missing to avoid relegation ranks.
14:32
The relegation battle meets the race for Europe. At 3:30 p.m., the struggling VfB Stuttgart welcomes the ailing Bayer Leverkusen. Welcome!