I remember when I was a student, people in Northern Germany jokingly told me that as a Scotsman I should feel at home in Stuttgart. gates (thrift) of the inhabitants of swabianland (Swabian)!
This is an old cliché that has no bearing on reality, and I think—and I hope—my fellow citizens, if they are fair-minded, would say the same thing. Indeed, I am confident that Celtic and VfB Stuttgart fans will enjoy and appreciate each other’s generous footballing spirit when the two teams meet in one of the most high-profile two-legged UEFA Europa League showdowns in the coming days.
What should Celtic supporters know in advance?
– Introducing Noakai Banks: Player selected from outside to USMNT’s World Cup squad
– Harry Kane hits his 500th goal: Explaining the statistics behind his great form
– Bayern’s Pokal drought weighs on them amid further success in the Bundesliga
For me, VfB Stuttgart is an underrated football and cultural icon outside of Germany, and it will open my eyes a little to its power and charm.
It all starts with something special blue string (a red ring or hoop around the team’s white shirt). Last August, the club celebrated its 100th anniversary. blue stringOrganic choreography by passionate artists, Cannstatter curve That day against Borussia Mönchengladbach left me with the hairs on the back of my neck.
For some strange reason, Stuttgart is rarely listed as one of the top places to go to watch a soccer match, but it really should be. In good times and bad, just under 60,000 fans pack into MHP Arena for every home game, and it’s something of a rite of passage. The team has a wide field in the Southwest, and for many fans in that region, rooting for any other player will feel completely strange.
Even if we won the Bundesliga three times and then four times. pokaljigar (German Cup winners) Stuttgart and its fans have nevertheless felt the full range of emotional ups and downs in recent years, including last May. they faced horror Abstig They were relegated in 2016 and 2019, but were fortunate to bounce back on both occasions and secure their place. klassenerhardt (Back to top) When you first asked the question.
Yet, in both 2022 and 2023, the giant club once again started squarely in the Bundesliga second division, narrowly making it through. Salvation first came only with a dramatic 92nd-minute goal on the final day against Cologne. Wataru Endo. A year later, they had to survive a relegation play-off against the always tense Hamburger SV.
By then, the urbane Sebastian Hoeneß had taken over their reins. It is hard to believe that his appointment took place less than three years ago, as Uri’s nephew and Dieter’s son has led VfB for such a short period of time. The world of music appreciation (literally, “a club for the game of movement”) — into one of the most fruitful eras in its history. He led Stuttgart to runners-up in the Bundesliga (ahead of Bayern Munich) in 2024, and Pokaljigue In 2025, as we bid farewell to our main players like we do every year, it speaks volumes about the manager’s ability and ability. sports chef Fabian Wohlgemuth was instrumental in finding a suitable replacement.
Consider your departure list. 2023, Endo, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Borna Sosa went. Became captain in 2024 Waldemar Anton and a prolific striker Selhou Girasito Dortmund, and Hiroki Ito To Bayern. And last summer, it was nick waltemade and Enzo Milotto.
However, in their current form, Stuttgart are on track to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League and find themselves in the top four of the 2026 Bundesliga having won five of their last seven games so far. They have demanding but desirable dry fach bella tongs (The burden of participating in three tournaments) And we are looking forward to the Pokal semi-finals in late April, where we will aim to retain the title.
Hoeness likes his team to keep possession and has a revolving door of rotating attacking players to keep his opponents off balance. You never know what they’ll throw at you. Still, perhaps their best performance of the year so far came at Leverkusen, where they were all about intense Gegenpressing, keeping the opposition at bay and ending the game before half-time.
The player who excited them the most is doubtful Deniz Undavprefer doner kebab to the traditional national dish, doner kebab. Maultaschen (gyoza) and Spätzle (a derivative of pasta) and yet embodies club football better than anyone else.
It’s really forward Spielmacher The 29-year-old with (playmaker) qualities is usually used behind a pure striker. Ermedin Demirovic. However, the fact is that after 2023, harry kane And his former teammate at Undav, Guirassi, has scored even more goals.
jamie lewelling He is also a force to be reckoned with, and the difficult part is knowing how to stop him, whether he lines up to the right, lines up to the left, or cuts into the middle. Leveling has come a long way since the days of Union Berlin and Greuther Fürth. The heartbeat is provided by the twins’ central midfielder, the captain. atakan carazol play the ball with the left footer angelo stillerHoeneß’s favorite and has been since their days together at Bayern II and TSG Hoffenheim. When Steeler scores, it’s usually via a long-range piledriver.
The left side could be a problem for opponents with capable full-backs. Maximilian MittelstedtWhen combined with Driberkönig (Dribble King) chris furichhas returned to singing after overcoming a difficult period last season. It may be unfair to call the right side a weak spot defensively, but I always feel like there is a weak spot. Luft Nach Oben (Room for improvement) Regarding the two right backs, Josha Vagnoman and Lorenz Assignon.
jeff chabot I’m the garrison commander. The former Cologne player, who is a dominant force with his left foot and is legitimately regarded as a candidate for the World Cup national team, is a good match for the precocious, ball-running 19-year-old. Finn Jelch.
Between the posts, alexander newbel — a long-term loanee from Bayern — rarely disappoints anyone. I don’t think Glasgow’s Hoeness will try to press as high as Stuttgart did in Leverkusen. However, Karazor’s positioning is particularly noteworthy.
Whatever happens next week in this interesting Europa League match, Wertschötzung The element of (gratitude) towards the men wearing the blue string and their fans is sure to grow even more.