Finishing runners-up to Bayer Leverkusen last season, VfB Stuttgart secured a return to European football. And tonight, they host a Champions League game at the Neckarstadion for the first time since the 2009/10 season. In Group G alongside Sevilla, Unirea Urziceni and Rangers back then, Stuttgart were knocked out by Barcelona in the Round of 16.
Stuttgart greats such as Sami Khedira, Alexander Hleb and Cacau played in their last Champions League game at the Neckarstadion, but tonight’s game against Sparta Prague offers a different type of opposition in the newly reimagined tournament.
To qualify for the Round of 16, Stuttgart must finish in the top eight or win their playoff game should they finish between ninth and twenty-fourth. Narrowly losing out to Real Madrid in their first game after conceding in the 83rd and 95th minutes, the Swabian side can certainly be proud of their performance at the Santiago Bernabeu. But now it’s time to ensure they pick up their first win in this year’s edition of the Champions League.
Speaking in Monday’s press conference, Sebastian Hoeneß commented on the special moment as European football returns to Stuttgart: “For us, the club, the city and the people here, this home game is something special. We want to take this feeling into the game.
“The players were really focused in our final training session, but they also had the right amount of playfulness too.”
Stuttgart deservedly finished second in the Bundesliga last season, one point ahead of Bayern Munich. Serhou Guirassy scored 28 goals and Deniz Undav netted 18 in the Bundesliga, but despite the sale of the former, VfB have lost just one of their opening five games.
What Hoeneß and Stuttgart have achieved on and off the pitch in the last 18 months is nothing short of exceptional, and they’re truly deserving Champions League football.
