Stuttgart Seek Third Straight Champions League Win Against Atletico Madrid
VfB Stuttgart will take an early Champions League test against Atletico Madrid into Tuesday’s first competitive meeting between the clubs, with Sebastian Hoeness urging his side to combine aggression with control at home.
Stuttgart have won both of their opening league-phase matches and stand fourth in the provisional table. A 3-1 win over Viking FK was driven by Ermedin Demirovic’s hat-trick, before a 3-0 success away to Slovan Bratislava, where Deniz Undav and Demirovic were on target.
Quick facts
- Stuttgart are chasing a third successive Champions League win.
- Demirovic has scored four times and shares the competition’s leading-scorer position.
- Atletico sit second in La Liga, with 22 points from nine matches.
- Maximilian Mittelstadt, Nikolas Nartey and Ameen Al-Dakhil are available for selection again.
- Dan-Axel Zagadou, Tiago Tomas and Justin Diehl remain absent.
Hoeness described Atletico as one of the leading teams in Europe and said the fixture represented the type of challenge Stuttgart had wanted from their return to the competition. He recognised the visitors’ individual quality and current form, while insisting his players want to establish where they stand against elite opposition.
Atletico recovered from their opening 2-1 defeat at Liverpool by beating Manchester United 2-0 in their last European match. Diego Simeone’s side arrive in Germany after taking 22 points from a possible 27 in the Spanish league.
The Stuttgart coach wants his team to retain enough protection behind the ball, apply their press effectively and move the ball quickly. He identified the balance between intensity and composure as central, with particular attention required when Atletico break forward after defending.
Hoeness believes the two victories have given Stuttgart a valuable platform. He said every additional point would be a bonus, but added that the position they have created should increase the squad’s determination to take a result from the match.
Mittelstadt is back in the frame after a heel wound suffered against Paderborn earlier this month. Nartey and Al-Dakhil have also returned, though Zagadou, Tomas and Diehl are still unavailable.
Stuttgart are attempting to register their first Champions League victory over Spanish opposition in an eighth attempt, having drawn two and lost five of the previous seven. Their broader recent record against La Liga clubs is stronger, with three wins from their last four European encounters.
There is also a defensive trend for the hosts to reverse: Stuttgart have allowed a goal in each of their previous 13 Champions League home fixtures. Atletico’s record in Germany offers encouragement to Hoeness’ side, however, as the Spanish club have lost five of six group-stage visits since a 2-1 win at Borussia Dortmund in October 1996.
