Sebastian Hoeneß’s men will look to claim their first scalp on their return to the Champions League against Juventus, and they have all the tools required to do so.

Red-hot attack

In their opening six Bundesliga games, Stuttgart scored 15 goals, and had scored three or more goals in a game on three occasions by the time of the October international break. That total becomes four when we include their 5-0 win over Preußen Münster in the DFB Cup. So far, whether it be in the Bundesliga, Champions League or the DFB Cup, Sebastian Hoeneß’s side have managed to find the back of the net in every game they have played, which will cause Juventus plenty of concern. Aside from goals, Stuttgart had the third-highest amount of shots taken in the Bundesliga by mid-October with 100, showing that they’re capable of creating opportunities in volume, and it’s just a matter of whether they take them or not.

Watch: The best of Ermedin Demirović

Undav-Demirović partnership

One of the reasons behind their ability to score goals so consistently is their strike force, made up of Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirović. Both have been in scintillating form this season, with Demirović lying joint second in the scoring charts with five goals and Undav close behind with four by the time of the October international break. They had started three league games together this season by then, scoring seven goals between them in that time. They both boasted a goal each coming off the bench, with Demirović’s late equaliser against Hoffenheim proving especially important, and have proven their ability to play either as a front two or seperately as a lone striker.

Watch: The best of Deniz Undav

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Squad depth

As important as both Undav and Demirović are to the team, there is also plenty of quality in reserve in the Stuttgart squad. By the time of the October international break, Enzo Millot had scored two of his three goals this season playing as a no.10 behind Undav and Demirović as lone strikers, while El Bilal Touré has also looked sharp when coming off the bench and managed to notch his first Bundesliga goal of the season in his side’s 5-1 demolition of Borussia Dortmund. Outside of their attack, youngsters Anrie Chase and Frans Krätzig have both shown that they are more than capable of stepping up when called upon, with Chase by mid-October having started three Bundesliga games this season and Krätzig appearing twice in the league as a starter and a substitute, as well as making two further substitute appearances in the DFB Supercup and DFB Cup.

Stuttgart's standout performance of the season so far was a 5-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 4 - IMAGO/Pressefoto Rudel/Robin Rudel

League form improving

After a disappointing season opener loss to Freiburg, Stuttgart bounced back and have remained unbeaten in the league since going into the international break and their big encounter at Bayern on Matchday 7. Their impressive victory over Dortmund on Matchday 4 caught the eye, followed by two hard-fought draws against Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim. While Stuttgart would have preferred to turn those two points into six, their resilience has shone through, ensuring they didn’t come away empty-handed from two tough games. Demirović’s dramatic equaliser in the ninth minute of stoppage time against Hoffenheim epitomises their team spirit and mental strength — especially after their stoppage-time equaliser in the seventh minute against Wolfsburg the previous week.

Watch: Stuttgart leave it late to level against Hoffenheim

Encouraging performance vs Real

Stuttgart’s first game of their Champions League campaign came away from home against the mighty Real Madrid, where they lost 3-1. Despite this defeat, Stuttgart’s quality was clear to see throughout the game, as they created numerous clear chances and maintained possession well before finding their response to Kylian Mbappé‘s opener through Undav with just over 20 minutes to go. Real’s two late goals put perhaps an unfair gloss on the scoreline; nevertheless, Hoeneß’s side proved that they were capable of playing their game on the most difficult of stages and can be disappointed to have left the Bernabeu empty-handed.

About the clubs

VfB Stuttgart

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