VfB Stuttgart are navigating a difficult start to the 2026/27 season, sitting 14th in the Bundesliga with just three points from three games. The weekend defeat at Hoffenheim, where they lost 2-1 after conceding twice to Adam Hlozek, summed up a stuttering domestic campaign that has yet to find real momentum.

The situation around captain Deniz Undav sharpens the concern. The 30-year-old striker, who scored 25 goals last season, has yet to register a single league goal or assist this term. Persistent Achilles tendon problems have hampered him, and national team coach Jürgen Klopp has left him out of his first Germany squad specifically to allow Undav time to recover physically. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß continues to back his captain publicly, but the fitness question is real.

There was a brighter moment midweek. Ermedin Demirovic scored a hat-trick in 12 minutes as Stuttgart beat Viking Stavanger 3-1 in their Champions League opener, with Undav contributing two assists in his best performance of the season. The result offered a timely reminder of what this squad is capable of, even if the league form tells a different story.

A further setback came when Angelo Stiller was forced off against Hoffenheim with a knee injury, though the club confirmed he suffered only a bruise. Stuttgart host Borussia Dortmund next in the Bundesliga, a fixture that will test whether the Champions League win has genuinely shifted their momentum.