Deniz Undav has returned to fitness at the same time as VfB Stuttgart have returned to form - a coincidence? - © IMAGO/Pressefoto Rudel/Robin Rud

bundesliga

VfB Stuttgart rediscover stunning form in 2025

22.01.2025

Still unbeaten in the league this year and now back on track in the UEFA Champions League, VfB Stuttgart's form is going through the roof in 2025.

Who cares about Rodri, Vinicius Jr. or Jude Bellingham? If Deniz Undav has his way, the winner of this year's Ballon d'Or will be known very early on in 2025 - and it won't be one of the top three from the last time the coveted award was presented.

"If you get two touches of the ball and score twice, you deserve it," said the striker with a broad grin after Stuttgart’s 3-1 win at Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League. In any case, Undav insists that his teammate Jamie Leweling has put forward an impressive application for football's top individual honour – albeit somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

Germany international Leweling certainly put himself in the limelight against the Slovakian side, bagging two goals to get Stuttgart back on track in the Champions League. The 23-year-old set the course for victory with a first-half double and, although the hosts managed to pull a goal back through Idjessi Metsoko, Fabian Rieder hit back almost immediately to put the result beyond doubt in Bratislava.

"I'm really pleased with my first two Champions League goals," beamed Leweling, who missed the end of last year with injury. "It's very important that I was able to help the team."

Perfect record in 2025

Leweling's goals certainly helped VfB. Now with 10 points, the Swabians are in with a very good chance of reaching the knockout play-offs and can now look forward to next week's final game of the league phase against Paris Saint-Germain in a much more relaxed manner.

Stuttgart have also been in red-hot form in the Bundesliga, which adds up to an impressive start to 2025: four wins in four competitive games, with a goal difference of 10-3. In addition to a strong chance of advancing to the next round in continental competition, the club have moved up to fourth place in the league and sit in a Champions League spot for the first time this season.

Stuttgart's rollercoaster ride now seems to be taking them on a decidedly upward trajectory, which is in stark contrast to where things stood at the start of the season. With just three wins in their first 10 games, it seemed that the club might not be able to compensate for the departure of key players such as Serhou Guirassy and Waldemar Anton.

But now, with 36 goals scored, Stuttgart are looking one of the best attacking teams in the league. At the same point last season - when they finished second behind Bayer Leverkusen - the Swabians had scored only two more goals and picked up two more points than they currently have.

Opportunity to advance

Sebastian Hoeneß's team seem for all intents and purposes to have recovered from their bumpy start to the season and are even on par with league leaders Bayern Munich in terms of points scored since Matchday 11. In fact, only reigning champions Leverkusen have collected more points in that time. And Stuttgart's domestic form has been reflected on the continent and got them in position to advance to the play-offs.

"All we're thinking about now is the Bundesliga game in Mainz," said a determined Undav ahead of their Matchday 19 clash with the side who handed leaders Bayern their only league defeat of the season so far just before the winter break. "After that, we can start thinking about Paris."