VfB Stuttgart has enjoyed a successful start to their Champions League campaign and responded in the Bundesliga after an early setback. The club sits ninth in the table with three points from two games and faces a lengthy injury list ahead of their next away match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on September 12th.
VfB Stuttgart secured a clear 3:1 home win against Norwegian champions Viking Stavanger in the opening match of the new Champions League league phase. The goals for the Swabians were scored by Ermedin Demirovic in impressive fashion. The Bosnian striker netted three times within just twelve minutes, effectively deciding the match early. Deniz Undav provided two assists. For Viking Stavanger, Zlatko Tripic scored the club's first-ever goal in a group stage of the competition in the 22nd minute. Swiss players Luca Jaquez and Leonidas Stergiou were not available for VfB for this match.
This success gives the team momentum for the upcoming European challenges. Currently, VfB Stuttgart has scored five goals in the Bundesliga but also conceded six, resulting in a negative goal difference of minus one. The team is therefore three points behind surprise leaders FC Augsburg.
Following the heavy 1:5 defeat at FC Bayern Munich on the opening matchday, the first Bundesliga home game against 1. FC Köln was under particular scrutiny. VfB managed the desired response with a 4:1 victory at the MHPArena. The visitors from Cologne had previously surprisingly beaten TSG Hoffenheim and arrived in Stuttgart with momentum. However, injury concerns at VfB were significant, with players like Tiago Tomás, Dan-Axel Zagadou, and Lorenz Assignon missing.
Despite the personnel shortages, Stuttgart quickly found their rhythm and built a comfortable lead. By the 75th minute, VfB was already leading 3:0 before Cologne managed to pull one back to 1:3. The team's current injury list, which also includes Dennis Seimen and Luca Jaquez, can be viewed on our injuries page. The victory stopped a negative streak, as Stuttgart had previously lost seven consecutive Bundesliga matches against FC Bayern.
The match against Cologne initially developed into another emotional rollercoaster for Josha Vagnoman. After the 25-year-old scored an own goal in Munich, he missed a huge chance from close range in the ninth minute against Cologne, hitting only the crossbar. He still found his personal happy ending. In the first minute of stoppage time, Vagnoman volleyed a deflected header from the edge of the box into the far top corner to make it 4:1.
After the goal, the defender celebrated extensively and made a clear "let them talk" gesture, showing he had taken note of the criticism following the difficult start to the season. His wonder goal was the perfect response to the turbulence of the first few weeks. For Vagnoman, it was already his second goal of the season in the right net. Detailed team statistics on goals and other performance data are available on our stats page.
The next challenge awaits on September 12th with an away match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The opponent is currently in 16th place and is also looking for points. For Stuttgart, it is the last match before the international break. A win could further stays in the upper half of the table. Preparation for this match takes place under the known personnel constraints.
