Red-hot Botev Plovdiv will be hoping to claim their first major scalp when they play host to Stuttgart, a team that are not exactly firing on all cylinders at the moment.

After hitting rock bottom in 2010 due to serious financial problems, one of Bulgaria’s oldest clubs have been like a phoenix rising from the ashes of late.

They quickly climbed from the third division to the top flight and even returned to Europe after a 19-year absence having achieved a fourth-place finish in the league last season.

Even if they signed several very good players this summer, many believed the lack of European experience would prove to be a major issue, but how they were wrong.

A 6-0 aggregate win over Astana and 3-1 aggregate triumph over Zrinjski helped Botev set up a clash with German giants Stuttgart, but one should know better than to write off Stanimir Stoilov’s side just yet.

Having beaten giants Levski 2-1 and Pirin Gotse Delchev 7-1 in the league, Botev are 6.50 (11/2) with bet365 to extend their winning run.

Important attacker Valeriy Domovchiyski is back from suspension, while a number of first team regulars will be recalled after they were rested at the weekend. Forward Vagner remains sidelined.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Stachowiak – Hristov, Sprockel, Grncarov, Minev – Jorsak, Galchev – Nedelev, Anicet, Kortzorg – Domovchiyski.

Stuttgart have been on a major downtrend since winning last of their five titles in 2007, but they always seem to manage to secure a European berth, one way or another.

After a sixth-place finish saw them qualify for last year’s Europa League, where they were eliminated by Lazio in the last 16 stage, the Swabians have secured European football through their DFB Pokal campaign this time out.

Stuttgart took advantage of a favourable draw to make it to the final, defeating the likes of Falkensee-Finkenkrug, St Pauli, Koln, Bochum and Freiburg in the process, before they were beaten by mighty Bayern in the final.

The squad have since suffered some changes, with Shinji Okazaki the only high-profile departure, while in came Sercan Sararer, Konstantin Rausch, Daniel Schwaab and Mohammed Abdellaoue.

And while the team do look stronger than last term, with a number of first team regulars missing at the moment, I see no value in odds of 1.62 (5/8) offered at Coral on Stuttgart to win in Burgas.

Martin Harnik, Tunay Torun and Marcos Rojas are definitely out, while Sercan Sararer, Georg Niedermeier, Patrick Funk, Mohammed Abdellaoue and Alexandru Maxim all struggle with muscular problems.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Ulreich – Schwaab, Tasci, Rudiger, Molinaro – Gentner, Kvist – Cacau, Maxim, Traore – Ibisevic.

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