Stuttgart's season is at a crossroads. Three points from four Bundesliga matches have left them 15th in the table, and the pressure on Sebastian Hoeneß is growing as league defeats to Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim exposed real inconsistency in the side. A 3:1 Champions League win over Viking offered some relief, but it has done little to mask the struggles in domestic competition.

At the centre of the attacking problems is Dzenan Pejcinovic. The 25-million-euro summer signing from Wolfsburg started brightly with a hat-trick in the DFB-Pokal, but has gone scoreless in the Bundesliga since. The 21-year-old has spoken openly about the pressure that comes with his price tag, and his absence from Jürgen Klopp's Nations League squad sent a clear message that performances must improve.

Off the pitch, a longer-term concern is taking shape. According to kicker's reporting, Stuttgart face a significant squad overhaul after this season, with eight first-team players, including Angelo Stiller, Chris Führich, and Maximilian Mittelstädt, all contracted until 2028 and no extension talks planned before January. The club's wage bill has risen sharply in recent years, and renewing all those deals is not financially viable. Only young defender Ramon Hendriks is likely to enter early negotiations.

Stuttgart travel to Paderborn on Saturday looking to arrest the slide and give Hoeneß's side some much-needed momentum heading into a Champions League home tie against Atletico Madrid the following week.