VfB Stuttgart are hoping to earn their first points in the league phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League when they welcome Sparta Prague to the MHP Arena on Tuesday (kick-off: 6.45pm CEST).
LIVE blog!
Game on
Sparta – kitted out in black – get us underway against Stuttgart, who are wearing white with red trimmings.
Anthem time
Both sides make their way out onto the pitch and line up for the Champions League anthem. We’re almost ready to go in Stuttgart!
Teams in tunnel!
What an atmosphere at the MHPArena in Stuttgart. We await the appearance of both teams …
Hoeneß speaks
The Stuttgart coach insisted “Sparta are doing very well,” at the moment and that, “Their team play good football, are very intense and well organised.”
Stuttgart on the rise
Sebastian Hoeneß’s men are once again enjoying that feel-good factor as they get set to resume their UEFA Champions League challenge.
More on those teams
VfB are showing two changes from their weekend draw against Wolfsburg. Pascal Stenzel is in for the injured Josha Vagnoman on the right while Deniz Undav gets the nod up top, with Fabian Rieder making way. Sparta also make a couple of changes to the side that started the Matchday 1 Champions League win against Salzburg, with Tomáš Wiesner and Victor Olatunji stepping aside for Albion Rrahmani and Tomáš Wiesner.
© DFL/GettyImages/Christian Kaspar-Bartke
Stuttgart starting XI
Nübel – Stenzel, Rouault, Chabot, Mittelstädt – Millot, Karazor (c), Stiller, Leweling – Undav, Demirović
Stuttgart subs
Bredlow, Seimen, Keitel, Touré, Krätzig, Führich, Olivier, Rieder, Raimund, Chase
Sparta starting XI
Vindahl-Jensen – Vitík, Panák (c), Zelený – Preciado, Kairinen, Laçi, Ryneš – Birmančević, Rrahmani, Haraslín
Sparta subs
Vorel, Solbakken, Ross, Olatunji, Pavelka, Tuci, Daněk, Sadílek, Pešek, Sørensen, Wiesner, Krasniqi
Atakan Karazor on the significance of the match
“The excitement for the first Champions League home game is immense. We know the significance it has for the fans but also for ourselves. We’re hoping for a similar performance to the one against Real Madrid and the support of our fans.”
© DFL/Getty Images/Christian Kaspar-Bartke
Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Sparta Prague
“They’re doing very good work. They play good football at a high intensity and are very well organised. They’ve started the season well but there’s a great euphoria among us and we know the force we can generate. We need absolute willingness tomorrow.”
© Alex Grimm
Sparta slip
The Czech visitors suffered their first league defeat of the season at home to Sigma at the weekend (2-3). They are second in their domestic table but beat Salzburg 3-0 to make a good start to the Champions League.
2:03
Highlights of Stuttgart’s 5-1 win over Dortmund
How’s the form?
Stuttgart have only won one of their last four in all competitions, but that run includes the trip to Real Madrid and drawing 2-2 at Wolfsburg on Saturday when down to ten men. Their last home match was a stunning 5-1 success over last season’s UEFA Champions League finalists, Borussia Dortmund.
5:01
All Deniz Undav’s Bundesliga goals
The Stuttgart striker levelled in Madrid before late goals for the hosts made for a 3-1 defeat. He has four goals already in the Bundesliga this season.
0:37
Stuttgart fans enjoyed their opening Champions League tie in Madrid…
Last time
Stuttgart’s last home tie in the competition over 14 years ago saw Cacau open the scoring as the hosts took a very decent 1-1 draw against a legendary Barcelona side (before losing the second leg of their last 16 tie, 0-4). There will be no Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry and Ibrahimović in the Sparta Prague ranks this week.
The Champions League is coming to town
You can sense the excitement all around Stuttgart as the MHPArena prepares to host its first UEFA Champions League game since 2010.
© IMAGO/imageBROKER/Michael Weber
Welcome!
Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of VfB Stuttgart’s second UEFA Champions League game of the 2024/25 league phase at home to Czech champions Sparta Prague on Tuesday.
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Stuttgart were unfortunate to come away from the Santiago Bernabéu empty handed after outplaying holders Real Madrid for much of their European opener. Sebastian Hoeneß’s side were ultimately made to pay for not putting away their chances in a 3-1 reverse, and VfB have clearly learned their lesson since then. They swarmed over Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 4 in a 5-1 success, before Deniz Undav rescued a point for the Swabians in the 97th minute against Wolfsburg on Matchday 5. Undav and Ermedin Demirović have clicked up front with a combined eight Bundesliga goals between them so far, while France U21 international Enzo Millot has sparkled with three goals and two assists. Dan-Axel Zagadou is sidelined after sustaining a fresh knee injury, so Hoeneß is expected to keep Jeff Chabot and Anthony Rouault at centre-back. Josha Vagnoman has also been ruled out after sustaining a knock against Wolfsburg. Pascal Stenzel and Anrie Chase are the two contenders to replace him. Hoeneß also has Germany international Chris Führich up his sleeve further forward.
While Sparta may not carry the same hefty reputation as Real Madrid, they should not be underestimated. Head coach Lars Friis’s men have enjoyed a good start to the 2024/25 campaign and currently sit second in the Czech Chance Liga on 22 points after nine games. They did however lose 3-2 against Olomouc in their most recent league outing on Friday. Furthermore, they made it through three qualifying rounds to reach the league phase, where they stunned Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 on Matchday 1. Lukas Haraslin, Victor Olatunji and Veljko Birmancevic are the players to watch in attack, with a combined 16 goals among them already.
Watch: Highlights of Stuttgart’s Matchday 5 trip to Wolfsburg
Match stats
- Undav is Stuttgart’s top scorer this season, with six goals in eight competitive games.
- Former players Kevin Kurányi and Mario Gómez are Stuttgart’s record scorers in the Champions League era, each on three goals.
- Stuttgart are one of five Bundesliga clubs in the revamped Champions League – no other league has more representatives this year.
- This is Stuttgart’s sixth campaign of Champions League/ European Cup football. Their deepest run was to the 2009/10 round of 16.
- VfB have a positive record in meetings with Czech teams. They won and drew against Slavia Prague in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals, having won at home and lost away to Dukla Prague in the 1978/79 UEFA Cup.
- Sparta have faced German opposition 13 times before, losing to Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Schalke, but beating Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin.
CONFIRMED teams
Stuttgart: Nübel – Stenzel, Rouault, Chabot, Mittelstädt – Millot, Karazor (c), Stiller, Leweling – Undav, Demirović
Subs: Bredlow, Seimen, Keitel, Touré, Krätzig, Führich, Olivier, Rieder, Raimund, Chase
Out: Diehl (shoulder), Nartey (knee), Stergiou (back), Vagnoman (knock), Zagadou (knee)
Coach: Sebastian Hoeneß
Sparta: Vindahl-Jensen – Vitík, Panák (c), Zelený – Preciado, Kairinen, Laçi, Ryneš – Birmančević, Rrahmani, Haraslín
Subs: Vorel, Solbakken, Ross, Olatunji, Pavelka, Tuci, Daněk, Sadílek, Pešek, Sørensen, Wiesner, Krasniqi
Out: Cobbaut (unknown), Garía de Albéniz (knee)
Coach: Lars Friis
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