Preview of the final away game of the year at Stuttgart

There's a real treat in store in the final midweek game of the year: In this battle of the South, FC Bayern travel to VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday evening (live text and webradio commentary from 18:30 CET on fcbayern.com) and, with a point, can wrap up the unofficial 'autumn championship'. Julian Nagelsmann's side will be looking for their sixth successive win in a competitive match and to consolidate their lead in the table, three days after their narrow 2-1 home win over 1. FSV Mainz 05. In our preview, we have the most important information on the final away match of the year.

Check out the best 📸📸📸 from the final training session ahead of Stuttgart:

The situation for FC Bayern

Since the men from Munich turned a 1-0 deficit against Mainz into an important 2-1 win in their penultimate home match in 2021 and, at the same time, Borussia Dortmund could only manage a 1-1 draw at VfL Bochum, FCB now have a six-point lead at the top of the table. The aim is to maintain this cushion, and the recent record against VfB gives cause for hope: the record champions have won all of their past nine Bundesliga games at Stuttgart. "It'll be up to us to dictate how the game goes. Hopefully we can also go into Friday's game with a lot of power," Nagelsmann said at his press conference. Following the game at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, the final match before the turn of the year will be played next Friday against VfL Wolfsburg (kick-off: 20:30 CET) at the Allianz Arena.

The opponents: VfB Stuttgart

Pellegrino Matarazzo's team are in good form at the moment: they've won two of their last three Bundesliga games, the same number as in the previous twelve matches. Most recently, they beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 away from home after goals from Förster and Mavropanos - the league's most lethal defender (four goals). Stuttgart are currently in 15th place and are battling for important points to avoid relegation. The head coach, meanwhile, is about to spend his 50th Bundesliga game in the dugout. "I know Pellegrino very well, we shared a room on our football coaching course, and he was also my assistant coach. They're very tough opponents. Against Stuttgart's variability, you can really only get a result through being dominant. They're a very good team with a very good coach who will demand a lot of us," praised Nagelsmann.

Team news, tactics and more: Watch the pre-match press conference with Julian Nagelsmann before the game at Stuttgart again (with English translation) here:

Team news for VfB Stuttgart vs. FC Bayern

Joshua Kimmich, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (both following a coronavirus infection) and Josip Stanišić (muscle tear in the left thigh) will definitely miss the match under the floodlights. It's still unclear whether Marcel Sabitzer, Leon Goretzka, Corentin Tolisso and Jamal Musiala will be able to play. Check out all the information in our squad update:

The hosts also have some team selection problems: Borna Sosa, Nikolas Nartey, Philipp Klement and Roberto Massimo are all out.

What the coaches say

Julian Nagelsmann: "I'm not looking forward to the holidays yet, that would cause a drop in intensity. My energy levels are good, I'm looking forward to the week. The team will also be energetic again. The opposition also have a few injury problems. We will see how fresh VfB are as well."

Pellegrino Matarazzo (VfB Stuttgart head coach): "We basically always go into our games feeling bold, and we want to keep that up against Bayern as well. If we don't try to play football and actively try to get forward, it'll only be a matter of time before Bayern score."

Nagelsmann will celebrate his 200th Bundesliga game as coach against Stuttgart. Check out more facts here 👇