Stuttgart v Hannover: free betting preview, tips & where to watch

TV: BT Sport 3, 7.30pm Friday

Bundesliga rivals last term, Stuttgart and Hannover kick off the German season a division lower with the hosts backed to draw first blood at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

These two giants of the German game are desperate to put miserable campaigns behind them and it’s Stuttgart who look the better equipped to do so.

They finished 16th in the top flight last season and then lost to Union Berlin in the playoffs.

They responded by recruiting Tim Walter from Holstein Kiel and the new gaffer has overseen a serious personnel change.

Key figures such as Gonzalo Castro and Mario Gomez are still on the roster while Emiliano Insua, Timo Baumgartl and Sasa Kalajdicz have been added to the mix. Neither Insua nor Baumgartl will play in this match, though.

Stuttgart had a decent pre-season with impressive wins at Basel and Freiburg and have happy memories of playing Hannover, a team they crushed 5-1 in March.

Gomez opened the scoring that day and the former Germany poacher has bagged 12 against the club from Lower Saxony.

As for Hannover, they went down in 17th with just five wins to their name and the worst goal difference in the division.

Players have departed and they’ve turned to head coach Mirko Slomka – for a third time – to arrest their woes.

Recommendation
Stuttgart
1pt 5-6 Betway, BoyleSports
bet on this game with bet365 here

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