Arminia Bielefeld vs Stuttgart predictions: Bundesliga boys can end Bielefeld’s dream run
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- Arminia Bielefeld have reached the DFB-Pokal final by beating four Bundesliga sides
- Both teams have scored in 10 of Stuttgart’s last 15 matches
- Recommended bet: Stuttgart to win & both teams to score
For the first time since 2011, there will be no Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal final and that will have Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart believing that they can claim a fourth German Cup win and a first since 1997.
That is because Stuttgart start warm favourites at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, where 3. Liga champions Arminia Bielefeld will be their surprise opponents.
Bielefeld will be in the Bundesliga 2 next season, having won the third-tier title by two points at Dynamo Dresden’s expense, but Stuttgart will not be taking them for granted.
Mitch Kniat's underdogs stormed to the final having claimed the scalps of four Bundesliga sides, accounting for Werder Bremen, Freiburg and Union Berlin before stunning last season’s winners Bayer Leverkusen in the semi-finals.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, accounted for RB Leipzig in their last four rumble and they won their final three games in the Bundesliga to finish ninth and set themselves up nicely for this cup final.
Bielefeld are bidding to become the 22nd different winner of the DFB-Pokal and would become the first representative to do so from outside Germany's top two divisions.
Team news
Stuttgart remain without Ameen Al-Dakhil, Anrie Chase, Yannik Keitel, Justin Diehl, Luca Raimund, Leonidas Stergiou, Angelo Stiller and Dan-Axel Zagadou.
Arminia Bielefeld, meanwhile, are without centre-back Semi Belkahia, while Moroccan midfielder Nassim Boujellab and Latvian forward Roberts Uldrikis are also unlikely to feature.
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The stats
Arminia Bielefeld are unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions and they have won five matches in the cup to make the final, although they have conceded in each of the last three rounds.
Six of Arminia Bielefeld’s last 10 matches have featured three or more goals.
Stuttgart have won three matches in a row and four of their five DFB-Pokal ties have gone over 2.5 goals.
Stuttgart have kept only three clean sheets in their last 15 matches, with both teams scoring in 10 of those games.
Arminia Bielefeld have lost only one of their five competitive meetings with Stuttgart since 2021, winning on three occasions.
Prediction
Having claimed the scalp of four Bundesliga sides already, including Bayer Leverkusen, Bielefeld have proven that they can make things difficult for better opposition, although all of those upsets were recorded in familiar territory at their beloved SchucoArena.
At a neutral ground, in the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Stuttgart will start warm favourites and reeling off three straight Bundesliga wins to close out the campaign against St. Pauli, Augsburg and RB Leipzig should have confidence restored.
So Stuttgart can put their Bundesliga quality to good use but Arminia pose a threat in the final and in Joel Grodowski, Marius Worl, Noah Sarenren Bazee and Julian Kania, they have players capable of giving the top-flight side a scare.
For all their midfield creativity and forward talent, Stuttgart have kept only four clean sheets in their last 21 matches and they may have to win a high-scoring encounter if they are to get their hands on the cup.
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