Stuttgart's Bundesliga season begins under significant pressure, with a daunting injury crisis threatening to undermine their preparations ahead of Friday's trip to the Allianz Arena. As many as eight players could be unavailable against Bayern Munich, including goalkeeper Dennis Seimen, who suffered a serious thigh injury shortly after returning from loan and faces months on the sidelines. Nikolas Nartey, who had been the quiet standout of pre-season and won the right-back spot ahead of Josha Vagnoman, lasted just nine minutes of the DFB-Pokal opener against Hansa Rostock before pulling up with a hamstring problem. Vagnoman now steps back into the starting role by necessity rather than merit, with the additional absences of Dan-Axel Zagadou, Lorenz Assignon, and doubts over Chris Führich and new signing Leo Sauer compounding the problem.

The 4-0 win over Rostock offered some encouragement, with Dzenan Pejcinovic marking his competitive debut with a goal, and the squad demonstrated enough depth to navigate a third-division opponent. But Bayern, who arrive into the fixture on the back of five straight wins including a Supercup victory over Dortmund, represent an entirely different challenge. Stuttgart have lost all five recent meetings with the Bavarians, including May's DFB-Pokal final, where they fell 3-0.

Off the pitch, Ermedin Demirovic has rejected a move to Galatasaray and confirmed his commitment to Stuttgart, while Newcastle United are reportedly monitoring Bilal El Khannouss as the transfer window nears its close. El Khannouss has grown frustrated with limited playing time, adding a further layer of uncertainty around the squad.