How do Dortmund and Stuttgart stack up?

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Two teams in good form

In the final game before the international break, Dortmund were seconds away from becoming Bayern Munich's closest challengers for the Meisterschale before Hamburg netted a last-gasp equaliser to draw 1-1. Now, they sit third in the table, level on points with Stuttgart in fourth.

Despite that disappointment, though, it has been a strong start to the campaign for Niko Kovač and Co. They have lost just one match, a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bayern in Der Klassiker, and have won six of their other nine Bundesliga matches. In fact, you have to go back to 8 March for Dortmund's most recent league loss, aside from the Bayern clash.

Watch: Hamburg 1-1 Borussia Dortmund - highlights

Stuttgart, meanwhile, have recovered from two defeats in their opening three Bundesliga matches to climb into the top four. In their last seven outings, they have won six, otherwise losing to high-flying RB Leipzig, while the seven victories they have amassed after 10 matchdays are a club record.

The underlying numbers show that the Swabians' return to form is anything but a fluke. Only Bayern have registered more shots, and they are also the only side to average more than Stuttgart's 57 percent possession. After last season's underwhelming eighth-place finish, Sebastian Hoeneß's men look somewhere close to their best once more.

BVB's home comforts face nemesis test

In recent times, Dortmund have made Signal Iduna Park a fortress. Across their last 10 games in front of their own supporters across all competitions, they have won nine and drawn one, meaning they have not lost on home turf in eight months. That run includes games against Barcelona and Leipzig, both of whom are no pushovers.

Nevertheless, that record will be put to the test by a team who have had their number in recent meetings. Stuttgart have beaten Dortmund in each of the past five games between the two, and are unbeaten in the last six. That run has seen some convincing victories, with Stuttgart scoring at least twice in four of them. The 5-1 hammering on Matchday 4 of last season was the main highlight.

Guirassy vs. Undav

Dortmund and Stuttgart have been offensively efficient this term without being spectacular, scoring 16 and 17 goals respectively. However, both are led by star strikers who can win matches on their own.

It is a testament to his clinical edge in recent years that Serhou Guirassy's start to the campaign has been criticised in some quarters despite being his side's top scorer.

Watch: Stuttgart 5-1 Borussia Dortmund - highlights

He has seven goals in 15 appearances across all competitions, while only three players in the Bundesliga have found the back of the net on more occasions than his five. Yet all of those goals have come against teams in the bottom half of the table, while he has missed four of his seven big chances.

Dortmund head coach Kovač is in no doubt that the Guinea international will soon return to the heights which we have become accustomed to. "We're missing his goals at the moment. But he'll get back to that. I'm happy to have him and I'll stick with him," he said.

Deniz Undav, on the other hand, has had his 2025/26 term hampered by a knee ligament tear, which has seen him miss six games across all competitions. Since recovering his fitness, though, he has hit the ground running, scoring three in his last four league games, including a match-winning brace in the victory against Augsburg last time out.

Watch: Stuttgart heading to Dortmund in fine form

Now with a two-week break behind him after not being called up to the Germany squad, the 29-year-old is primed to cause problems for a side against whom he has three goals in five career appearances.

Battle of strong defences

While Dortmund have room for improvement in the final third, they have been especially sturdy at the other end. Only Bayern have conceded fewer than their seven strikes, with three of those coming on the opening day of the season in the 3-3 draw with St. Pauli.

On top of that, they have faced only 91 shots, second again to Bayern, and have kept six clean sheets. That defensive stability has come amidst several injuries, including to captain Emre Can and leading centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck.

Stuttgart have not been quite as stringent, but Dortmund and Bayern are the only teams to have conceded fewer than their own 12. Five of those came in the first three fixtures, too, with Alexander Nübel picking the ball out of the net just twice between Matchday 4 and Matchday 8.

Jeff Chabot has been a rock at the heart of the backline, while Luca Jaquez has shone - he now has four clean sheets in the seven Bundesliga games he has started for the club.

While Bayern will take some stopping, Dortmund and Stuttgart are, alongside Leipzig, best placed to take on that responsibility. Whoever comes out on top in the Ruhr will only have more confidence that they can keep up with the leaders' ferocious pace.