Stuttgart find themselves caught between two very different realities this season. In the Bundesliga, the picture is troubling: six points from six matches leaves them 13th in the table, and a 0-1 defeat at Hamburg last weekend extended a run of inconsistency that has frustrated coaches and supporters alike. The gap between their domestic and European form is stark, with the club actually accumulating more points in the Champions League than in the league.

Off the pitch, the club has responded with unusual measures. According to Sport Bild, players have been banned from driving their private luxury cars onto the training ground, with fines threatened for non-compliance. Sponsor pressure from Mercedes and Porsche plays a part, but the move also signals a broader push from sporting director Christian Gentner, Fabian Wohlgemuth and Alexander Wehrle to sharpen focus. Sebastian Hoeness has also intensified training sessions and begun addressing individual errors publicly rather than privately, making clear that no starting place is guaranteed.

In Europe, the mood is brighter. A 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid, in which Stuttgart played the final stretch with an extra man after Morten Hjulmand's red card, left the team feeling they should have won. Captain Deniz Undav, who had struggled for goals early in the season, now carries seven points into matchday four. Friday's home Bundesliga fixture against Borussia Moenchengladbach, who have lost all four league games so far, offers Stuttgart a chance to finally translate European confidence into domestic points.