Lars Bender has missed out on a place in the Bayer Leverkusen squad for the game against Stuttgart.

The German midfielder has been battling a number of injury problems this season, and Roger Schmidt has decided against risking him at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

There is a return for Bosnian defender Emir Spahic, who replaces Wendell as Schmidt reshuffles his backline.

Stuttgart can pull away from the relegation zone with a victory this afternoon, and they begin the game with Timo Werner and Vedad Ibisevic leading the line.

Stuttgart: Kirschbaum, Schwaab, Rudiger, Niedermeier, Harnik, Leitner, Romeu, Klein, Werner, Gentner, Ibisevic

Leverkusen: Leno, Jedvaj, Toprak, Spahic, Hilbert, Reinartz, Brandt, Calhanoglu, Son, Bellarabi, Kiessling