A 5-1 defeat at Bayern Munich on the opening night of the Bundesliga season has set an uncomfortable tone for VfB Stuttgart, who find themselves bottom of the table after one game and facing serious questions about their squad depth. Stuttgart showed early promise at the Allianz Arena, pressing the champions and creating chances in a lively first quarter-hour, but Bayern took control and the game slipped away badly in the second half. Captain Deniz Undav was blunt in his assessment afterwards, saying goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow's performance was the only thing that prevented a far heavier scoreline.

The result is made more concerning by Stuttgart's injury situation, which was already serious before a ball was kicked in the league. Nikolas Nartey, who had been one of the standout performers in pre-season and was set to start at right-back, suffered a hamstring injury after just nine minutes of the DFB-Pokal win over Hansa Rostock. First-choice goalkeeper Dennis Seimen is also sidelined until at least late September, forcing Bredlow into the role. Dan-Axel Zagadou, Lorenz Assignon, Leo Sauer, Justin Diehl and Jeremy Arevalo are among the other absentees, leaving Sebastian Hoeneß with a stretched squad at the worst possible moment.

Off the pitch, the transfer window has brought some clarity. Ermedin Demirovic rejected a move to Galatasaray and committed to the club, while Josha Vagnoman had a transfer blocked by the club following Nartey's injury. Newcastle United have reportedly been monitoring Bilal El Khannouss, though Stuttgart value him highly and are reluctant to sell. Stuttgart host FC Köln on September 4, a fixture that offers a chance to recover early momentum before the Champions League group stage begins.