SC Paderborn – VfB Stuttgart

Recent form · Written before the match

Paderborn's last six documented Bundesliga results before the match are: 0-0 at Mainz on August 29, 0-1 defeat against Freiburg on September 5, 0-3 defeat at Dortmund on September 12, 3-1 win against Hoffenheim on September 20, 0-2 defeat against Stuttgart on October 10, and a 2-2 draw at Bremen on October 17. Stuttgart lost 1-5 at Bayern on August 28, beat Cologne 4-1 on September 4, lost 1-2 at Hoffenheim on September 12, lost 0-1 against Dortmund on September 19, beat Paderborn 2-0 on October 10, then lost 0-1 at Hamburg on October 17.

In the October 10 clash, the Bundesliga reported an xG of 2.63 for Paderborn versus 2.44 for Stuttgart, an isolated figure that is insufficient to establish a trend. Paderborn will have three calendar days between Hamburg on October 24 and this cup match; Stuttgart will have at least four days after their October 23 match, but with a schedule that includes Atlético de Madrid on October 20.

Head-to-head · Written before the match

In the DFB-Pokal, Stuttgart won the three previous documented encounters: Paderborn 1-4 Stuttgart in 2002/03, Paderborn 2-3 Stuttgart after extra time in 2007/08, and Paderborn 1-2 Stuttgart in the round of 16 in 2022/23. In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart won 2-0 at Paderborn on 10 October 2026.

The recent match is the most informative precedent for the clash of styles, but does not guarantee its repetition; the 2002 and 2007 encounters have limited prédictive relevance due to the time elapsed.

Absences and returns

No reliable and specific list of injured, suspended or unavailable players for this match has been confirmed. Dennis Seimen started the league match on 10 October, without this confirming his starting position in the cup.

Context & news

Stuttgart can reuse the plan from October 10: high pressing, control of key phases and exploiting Stiller’s crosses toward Chabot and then Führich, with a 4-0 victory at Rostock in the first round as another cup reference point. Paderborn can overturn this reading thanks to its home advantage, its ability to react after halftime and its recent attacking results against Hoffenheim and in Bremen.

The opposite scenario mainly depends on major rotation by Stuttgart or a decline in defensive quality; conversely, a Stuttgart team close to its usual starting eleven would reinforce the reading favorable to the visitors. Qualification for the round of 16 is at stake, with no first-leg score.