VfB Stuttgart's season has shifted in tone after a stunning 4-2 victory at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, a result that lifted the club to 11th place with nine points from eight games. The win was significant not just for the three points, but for what it said about Stuttgart's resilience. After back-to-back league defeats, including a chastening 2-3 loss at home to a then-pointless Borussia Mönchengladbach, coach Sebastian Hoeneß had tightened the screws internally, removing guaranteed starting places and addressing individual errors openly within the squad. That response appears to have worked.

The turnaround in confidence is particularly relevant for captain Deniz Undav, who had gone seven Bundesliga games without a goal this season. Lothar Matthäus publicly questioned whether the captaincy was weighing on the striker, suggesting he had lost his natural ease in front of goal. The Leverkusen result offers some relief, though Undav's form in the league remains a thread worth watching.

Stuttgart now travel to Istanbul for a Champions League fixture against Galatasaray on 3 November, a match that carries genuine importance. The club sits sixth in the Champions League table and can approach the game with confidence rather than desperation. Galatasaray, by contrast, are 23rd and need points urgently. The atmosphere at the Rams Global Stadyumu will be intense, but Stuttgart arrive in better shape than at any point this season.