VfB Stuttgart host Paris Saint-Germain today hoping to surprise their lofty opponents and make it through to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds.
While the French champions are strongly favored, since Sebastian Hoeness was made coach in April 2023, Stuttgart have made a habit of proving the doubters wrong.
Having somehow kept the club from the drop in his first season, Hoeness took Stuttgart to second place in last season — 40 points better off than the previous season and ahead of Bayern Munich.
Photo: Reuters
This year, Stuttgart stumbled out of the gate as their surprise success led to a summer exodus of their best players, including striker Serhou Guirassy, captain Waldemar Anton and fellow centerback Hiroki Ito.
Hoeness has steadied the ship, with Stuttgart back up to fourth in the Bundesliga.
Barring a remarkable eight-goal win for Dinamo Zagreb at AC Milan, Stuttgart just need a point against PSG to qualify for the knockouts for the first time since 2009-2010 and continue their stunning rise under Hoeness.
Despite two relegations in the past decade, Stuttgart remain one of Germany’s biggest clubs, with five league titles, the most recent of which came in 2006-2007.
Hoeness took over with Stuttgart dead last in the table and in danger of joining Hamburg SV and Schalke 04 as fellow fallen giants in Germany. The 42-year-old has revitalized the club, returning them to where many feel they rightfully belong.
The highlight of Stuttgart’s return to the Champions League was a 1-0 win at Juventus in October last year, where Hoeness’ side dominated the Italian giants in their first loss of the season.
Germany striker Deniz Undav rejected English Premier League riches to make his loan from Brighton & Hove Albion permanent in the summer last year, clearly passionate about where the club is headed.
Undav praised PSG on Saturday, but said Stuttgart would not wilt in front of the French champions.
PSG are a “brutal club” with “brutal players,”but Stuttgart are a huge club and we want to show that on Wednesday,” Undav said.
The 28-year-old said Stuttgart would not be leaving anything to chance by playing for a draw.
“That doesn’t matter,” Undav said of Stuttgart needing just a point to qualify. “We have to win against Paris, then we’ll be on the safe side.”
Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth said the “pressure would be on” the French champions in the competition they value most.
“It’s a special game. It has the feel of a final. It’s something very special which doesn’t happen to us a lot,” he said.
Domestically, PSG are unbeaten and on track for another Ligue 1 title, but failing to make the top 24 in the Champions League would be unthinkable.
German media have reported a “non-aggression pact” between the clubs, who could agree to play out a draw to both qualify, but Wohlgemuth said there was “nothing to” the rumors.
Hoeness has already promised his side would bring the fight.
Saturday’s toothless 2-0 loss at FSV Mainz 05 was Stuttgart’s first defeat of the year.
“We’ll have to shake ourselves up now, and in the coming days we’ll convert the anger into energy for the next game, and that game is on Wednesday against Paris,” Hoeness told reporters.
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