The 2nd and 3rd leagues have already started and have prepared us for a great year with interesting games. However, we are eagerly awaiting 23.08.2024, a Friday evening on which Borussia Mönchengladbach will host reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen at home to open the 62nd Bundesliga season.
Fortunately, we don’t have long to wait until then and want to use this time to take a closer look at the teams. Last season was characterized by many surprises and we hope that we can expect pure excitement and variety again this time.
One of these many surprises was Sebastian Hoeneß’ team. After VfB Stuttgart had to fight vehemently against relegation two years ago, last year they played their most successful season since the championship in 2006/07. With 73 points, they finished runners-up last season, leaving Bayern behind and, of course, automatically qualifying for the Champions League. In this form check, we want to take a closer look at whether the Swabians can continue this form this season.
VfB have reshuffled their squad with 22 additions and 13 departures. This enormous breadth is of course necessary for the upcoming triple-header, but at the same time there are fears that the core of the team has changed too much. However, the new faces could also bring a breath of fresh air into the team and provide more motivation. A lot is still uncertain at VfB, but one thing is certain: they would like to play for the top places again this season
Where do you think Stuttgart will finish at the end of the season? Feel free to write it in the comments below.
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VfB Stuttgart analysis & Form of the squad
The VfB squad has changed a lot over the summer break. After their high-flying season, it was clear that they would not be able to keep some players, or that offers from other clubs were too tempting to turn down. For one thing, Stuttgart will have to do without their central defensive axis from last season this season. Hiroki Ito is moving to Munich for €23.50 million and Waldemar Anton has also signed for league rivals Dortmund for €22.50 million.
In addition to these two key players, the Swabians are also losing at least one of their top scorers. Serhou Guirassy, who was often the difference-maker par excellence last season, is also moving to BVB for €18 million. However, the Swabians were able to keep Undav and signed the center forward from Brighton for a good €26 million.
In addition to these departures, VfB have of course also hit the transfer market themselves. To fill the hole in the defense, they brought in Jeff Chabot from 1. FC Köln and signed both Leonidas Stergiou and Anthony Rouault. Both were only on loan at Stuttgart last year, but will wear the Swabian jersey permanently in the future. Stuttgart were also active in the offensive area. Firstly, they brought in Ermedin Demirovic from FC Augsburg for €21 million, who scored 15 goals and provided ten assists in 34 games last season. They also brought in Nick Woltemade from SV Werder Bremen, Jamie Leweling was also signed permanently and they snapped up the up-and-coming talent Justin Diehl from 1. FC Köln.
Of course, it remains to be seen how the new players will integrate and whether everything will go according to plan, but VfB once again have a very good team with a lot of potential
Departures of the top stars
As already reported in the article above, Guirassy will no longer be wearing the VfB shirt. Let’s take a look at the consequences of this in figures. Serhou Guirassy scored 30 goals and provided four assists in 30 games last season and only needed an average of 79 minutes to score a goal. Deniz Undav “only” scored 19 goals in 33 games, but also provided ten assists. Of the 78 goals that VfB scored in the Bundesliga last season, the two were directly or indirectly involved 63 times. That is an incredible figure that is almost impossible to replicate. There is a lot of pressure on the new attacking players to follow in their footsteps. After all, they were able to sign Undav permanently
VfB Stuttgart’s season target for the 2024/25 season
An official target has not yet been communicated externally by those responsible at Stuttgart. If we look at the Swabians’ fan forums, supporters also have a wide variety of ideas about what next season will look like. Relegation at an early stage is certainly the top priority and even if VfB should not be blinded by last year, they can certainly aim a little higher.
Qualifying for international business again is a very realistic goal due to the breadth of the squad and also the strength of the game, which could already be set internally. The goal in the top flight depends heavily on the luck of the draw. There could be a group constellation in which Stuttgart have a good chance of reaching the round of 16. However, it is more likely that they will remain in the Europa League. Either way, they can play without any pressure.
How do you think VfB Stuttgart will do in the coming season, both in the league and in the Champions League? Let us know in the comments below
The VfB Stuttgart squad at a glance:
- Goal: Alexander Nübel, Fabian Bredlow, Dennis Seimen, Stefan Drljaca
- Defense: Dan-Axel Zagadou, Jeff Chabot, Anthony Rouault, Leonidas Stergiou, Ramon Hendriks, Anrie Chase, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Frans Krätzig, Josha Vagnoman, Pascal Stenzel
- Midfield: Angelo Stiller, Atakan Karazor, Yannik Keitel, Nikolas Nartey, Enzo Millot, Fabian Rieder, Woo-yeong Jeong, Ömer Beyaz
- Attack: Chris Führich, Justin Diehl, Silas, Jamie Leweling, Luca Raimund, Nick Woltemade, Ermedin Demirovic, Wahid Faghir, Luca Pfeiffer, Mohamed Sankoh, Thomas Kastanaras, Deniz Undav
Possible line-up from VfB Stuttgart in the 2024/25 Bundesliga
Stuttgart will probably play mainly in a 4-2-3-1, as they did last season. Chabot and Rouault could form the central defense, Stergiou is also an option for this role. The full-backs will probably be Mittelstädt and Stenzel again, with Stiller and Karazor forming the defensive midfield.
Of course, Hoeneß has many options on the wings. Silas, Diehl and Millot are all very good options, but the coach will probably fall back on Führich and Leweling and Beyez could play as a ten. There are still a lot of question marks, the only clarity we outsiders have at the moment is that Demirovic will take Guirassy’s role
VfB Stuttgart forecast for the Bundesliga 2024/25
There are still many question marks hanging over Stuttgart ahead of the start of the season. Nobody knows how the new signings will integrate, how the triple burden will affect this young team and whether the departures of Guirassy, Anton and Ito can be coped with. In Sebastian Hoeneß, the Swabians have a coach who can make young players better and shape a team into a real team.
We don’t think VfB will have a season like last year’s, but they will still be in contention to qualify for the international places. We recommend that you place an optimistic bet that VfB will finish in the top four. At Winamax you have odds of 3.25.
