The battle for the final piece of the elite pie

While Bayern Munich continues to play a different sport entirely at the top of the table, the rest of the Bundesliga is currently engaged in a frantic, sweaty game of musical chairs. This Sunday, the music stops at the MHPArena, and either VfB Stuttgart or RB Leipzig is going to find themselves sitting on the floor without a Champions League invitation.

Both teams are currently deadlocked on 47 points. It is a classic "six-pointer," though in the case of Leipzig, it feels more like a corporate merger gone wrong. Sebastian Hoeness has turned Stuttgart into a well-oiled machine that plays some of the most attractive football in Europe, even if they did decide to take a nap midweek against FC Porto in the Europa League. Losing 2-1 at home to the Portuguese was NOT in the script, and the Swabians look like a team that desperately needs a double espresso and a defensive reset.

Then we have the Red Bull machine. Leipzig, under Ole Werner, have become the league’s comeback kings, lately specializing in winning matches 2-1 after pretending to be asleep for the first sixty minutes. They haven’t lost in five league outings, and while they possess all the soul of a spreadsheet, their efficiency is undeniable. They already slapped Stuttgart 3-1 earlier this season, and they’ll be smelling blood given the hosts' recent European hangover.

Stuttgart are usually monsters at home, but they’ve developed a nasty habit of drawing matches they should win—last week's 2-2 at Mainz being a prime example of their sudden inability to close the fridge door. If Deniz Undav doesn’t find his shooting boots early, Leipzig’s Yan Diomande will likely punish them on the counter before the home crowd has even finished their first bratwurst.

Expect goals, tactical fouling, and at least one Hoeness touchline tantrum.

Prediction: VfB Stuttgart 1-2 RB Leipzig