Stuttgart's season-opening 4-0 DFB-Pokal win over Hansa Rostock delivered the right result but left Sebastian Hoeneß counting the cost in the treatment room. Nikolas Nartey, who had been one of the standout performers of pre-season and was set to start as an unconventional right-back, limped off after just nine minutes with a hamstring injury. The timing is brutal. Nartey had fought back from a career-threatening injury run that kept him out for over two years and cost him more than 100 appearances for the club, only to suffer another setback before the Bundesliga had even begun.

The injury crisis stretches well beyond Nartey. Goalkeeper Dennis Seimen, who returned from a successful loan at Paderborn only to tear his thigh muscle shortly after, is out until at least late September. Dan-Axel Zagadou and Lorenz Assignon are also unavailable, while Chris Führich left the Rostock pitch with a thigh problem and his status for the Bayern fixture remains unclear. New signing Leo Sauer has only just returned to full training after his own muscle injury at Feyenoord. With Justin Diehl and Jeremy Arevalo also sidelined, Hoeneß could be without eight players for Friday's Bundesliga opener at the Allianz Arena.

Off the pitch, Galatasaray have now raised their bid for striker Ermedin Demirovic to 18 million euros, according to Sky, though Stuttgart are holding firm and want more than 20 million for a player they signed for 23 million two years ago. With the squad already stretched thin, losing Demirovic before the window closes would compound an already difficult start to the campaign. Josha Vagnoman, previously considered a likely departure after Nartey had displaced him in pre-season, now steps back into the starting right-back role by necessity.