VfB Stuttgart vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv: UEFA Europa League LIVE blog and team news

Back-to-back wins have sent VfB Stuttgart flying up the UEFA Europa League standings before their sixth game at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday (kick-off: 6.45pm CET).

Stuttgart have claimed comfortable victories over Dutch opposition, winning 4-0 a fortnight ago at Go Ahead Eagles after a 2-0 triumph at home to over Feyenoord thanks to late goals from Bilal El Khannouss and Deniz Undav.

Those results helped make up for defeats at Fenerbahce (1-0) and Basel (2-0), after opening with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo.

A total of nine points puts Sebastian Hoeneß’s side in 12th place in the 36-team table with three games to go, which would mean a seeded place in the knockout play-offs, but only one point outside the coveted top eight.

Maccabi’s trip to Stuttgart is one of two to Germany in the league phase, also visiting Freiburg in the next game after the winter break. The Israeli champions drew 0-0 at PAOK in the opening match but have since lost to Dinamo Zagreb (3-1), Midtjylland (3-0), Aston Villa (2-0) and Lyon (6-0) to sit second bottom of the standings above the only pointless team, Nice.

LIVE blog!

VS

Stuttgart

Thu, 11.12 17:45

Tel Aviv

Europa League
League phase, Matchday 6 League phase, Matchday 6 MHPArena

2:03

Stuttgart stunned

Stuttgart fell to their first defeat at home in the Bundesliga this season on Saturday, losing 5-0 to Bayern. Given the champions' rampant form, they will hope to be able to shake that off.

Maccabi slip

The Tel Aviv side (pictured in their Europa League defeat at Aston Villa) were beaten 1-0 at Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Sunday to remain in second and see the gap widen at the top of the Israeli Premier League to five points to their opponents.

© IMAGO/Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock

Head-to-head

This meeting is the first time the two have faced. Stuttgart, though, have played an Israeli side once before, beating Hapoel Haifa 4-0 in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup. Maccabi, meanwhile, have more experience against German sides, playing nine times against such opposition. They have lost five of them, winning just once - 4-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2013/14 Europa League group phase.

© imago sportfotodienst

Maccabi Tel Aviv - the story so far

Maccabi require an incredible turnaround if they are to qualify for the knockout stages. A 0-0 draw against PAOK represented a positive start, but they have not picked up a single point since, losing four games and conceding 14 goals.

© IMAGO/Andrew Yates

Stuttgart - the story so far

Despite a mixed start, Stuttgart are well placed to reach the knockout stages and, with a strong run, they could end up in the top eight. After a victory over Celta Vigo, they lost back-to-back games to Basel and Fenerbahçe as they stumbled. They have recovered well, though, beating Feyenoord and Go Ahead Eagles in consecutive games to nil.

© IMAGO/Revierfoto

Welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of VfB Stuttgart's Europa League encounter at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv on Matchday 6 of the league phase, which kicks off at 6.45pm CET on Thursday.

About the clubs

VfB Stuttgart

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