Holstein Kiel – Stuttgart

The visitors will win the cup match in Kiel in regulation time.

In one of the German Cup quarter-final clashes, the defending champion, it seems, is being asked to solve a fairly simple task. As a reminder, last season Stuttgart won for the fourth time in its history the second-most prestigious trophy in German football. In the final of that edition, the Swabians confidently beat Arminia, which at that time represented the country's third-tier division. The only source of pride for Holstein Kiel in the German Cup is their victory over Bayern Munich in one of the previous seasons. Aside from that, the modest club, having spent only one year in the Bundesliga, did not make any other notable mark in the national cup. In the first round of the current edition, the Kiel club knocked out the modest Homburg 2-0. In the Round of 16, the away side beat Wolfsburg 1-0, Wolfsburg having played with ten men from the 36th minute. In the previous round, Holstein Kiel drew with Hamburg and then prevailed over them in a penalty shootout. Stuttgart in the Round of 32, with Voltemade in the lineup, played 4-4 in Braunschweig and were forced to beat Eintracht in a penalty shootout. Next on the path of the reigning German Cup winner were two crisis-hit clubs: Mainz and Bochum. Victories over both were achieved with the same score of 2-0. Bookmakers have named the visitors as favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.50 on their victory. Holstein Kiel is not having the best of times after relegation from the Bundesliga. The team has struggled to adapt to the realities of the more familiar second division of Germany and after twenty matches sits in eleventh place. In the last round of the 2. Bundesliga, Kiel lost at home to Greuther Fürth, the league's bottom club. It is hard to understand what resource the hosts can rely on to win. Stuttgart recently successfully secured their place in the Europa League qualifying round. In the Bundesliga the Swabians are in a serious battle with Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig for the fourth place in the table, which would grant entry to the next edition of the Champions League. Stuttgart is in decent form, which should allow them to win in Kiel.