Can VfB Stuttgart's attack rival Borussia Dortmund's?
No Bundesliga fixture has produced more goals than VfB Stuttgart against Borussia Dortmund – 381 in 112 meetings – and with attacking talent on both sides, Saturday’s clash promises more of the same.
With three Bundesliga wins from three, Niko Kovač’s Dortmund have secured maximum points from their opening three games for the first time in 11 years.
With four goals and two assists in five games across all competitions, Serhou Guirassy has looked unplayable, while Fabio Silva finally looks to have settled after a difficult maiden campaign.
Watch: All of Guirassy's Bundesliga goals
Notably, both of Guirassy’s assists this term were for Silva. That’s already one more than the pair combined for last season, with Dortmund's dazzling duo creating quite the buzz among Black and Yellow supporters
“We have a very good relationship,” said Guirassy. “Sometimes when I haven't been playing, I've given him advice, and when he isn't playing, he gives me advice.
“I understand that football's like this. One day I'm going to score, another day someone else is going to score. We might as well push each other to improve and let the team reap the rewards."
Effectively playing as support striker, Silva has already matched last season’s tally - which took 28 matches - with two Bundesliga goals.
The Portuguese attacker netted the equaliser in Dortmund’s 3-2 comeback victory against Hoffenheim prior to opening the scoring in their Matchday 3 win against Paderborn, in addition to his strikes against Bayern Munich in the 2026 Franz Beckenbauer Supercup and Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League.
It is a welcome development for Kovač: “Competition keeps things lively. The competition is there this season, too. If you don’t have competition, you sit back, you rest, you get complacent, and then you don’t get the results you’d like.”
In contrast, Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav - who finished as Germany’s top scorer at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with three goals - hasn’t scored for the Swabians since May. Nevertheless, head coach Sebastian Hoeneß is backing his goal-getter to rediscover last season’s form, when he plundered 19 goals in 29 top-flight appearances.
“That [his confidence] will come again,” said Hoeneß after VfB’s 3-1 Champions League win against Viking in which Undav registered two assists. “I have absolutely no doubt about that. Deniz will score again, and he will once again be the player who decides games for us.”
Dortmund’s trip to the MHP Arena could hardly come at a better time in that regard; Undav has scored more against BVB than against any other team (six), including a hat-trick in last November's Bundesliga meeting.
Watch: Every Undav goal in 2025/26
For now, his team-mate Ermedin Demirović is bridging the gap with four goals in five appearances across all competitions so far this season.
Dženan Pejčinović has also arrived from Wolfsburg, providing added competition for the aforementioned duo. Having struck 12 goals in all competitions - including eight in the Bundesliga - in Wolfsburg’s relegation season, he has already caught the eye of new Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp.
Although Pejčinović has yet to score for Stuttgart in the top flight, Klopp stated that he intends to talk to the Germany U21 international, who scored a hat-trick in the DFB Cup win over 3. Liga’s Hansa Rostock, about a potential call-up.
All in all, with a plethora of mouthwatering attacking options at their disposal, Saturday’s clash between the two sides promises to be a captivating one as Dortmund look to maintain their perfect start, while Stuttgart aim to get their cogs turning.
