'One of European football's very best sides' - Sebastian Hoeness relishes Atletico Madrid test as flying Stuttgart chase third straight Champions League win

Hoeness is relishing the prospect of testing his wits against Spanish opposition as his side pursue a third straight Champions League triumph on Tuesday night. Die Schwaben currently sit fourth in the provisional standings after beating Viking FK 3-1 via an Ermedin Demirovic hat-trick and dispatching hosts Slovan Bratislava 3-0 through Deniz Undav and Demirovic. Those four strikes make the Bosnian forward the tournament's joint-top scorer.

Tuesday's inaugural competitive meeting between the two clubs pits the German hosts against a visiting outfit sitting second in the Spanish top flight with 22 points from a possible 27. Los Rojiblancos also bounced back from an opening 2-1 defeat at Liverpool by claiming a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in their previous European outing.

Assessing the pedigree of Tuesday's opponents on Monday, Hoeness said: "Atletico are one of European football's very best sides. It's because of games like these that we've been looking forward to the Champions League so much. They're an exciting team with exceptionally talented individual players. We want to see how we measure up against Atletico, even though we're fully aware that they're in really good form at the moment."

Speaking at Monday's pre-match press conference, the 44-year-old repeatedly stressed the need to keep sufficient cover behind the ball, press effectively and play with pace. On the team news front, defender Maximilian Mittelstadt is in contention after recovering from a heel cut sustained against Paderborn earlier this month alongside returning duo Nikolas Nartey and Ameen Al-Dakhil, though Dan-Axel Zagadou, Tiago Tomas and Justin Diehl remain sidelined.

Detailing the tactical approach required to capitalise on their strong start, Hoeness continued: "The key will be finding the right balance between intensity and composure. We need good structure, good balance, and we need to be particularly alert when our opponents transition from defence to attack.

"We've put ourselves in a good position with our two wins - and therefore have a huge opportunity. Every point is a bonus. That should make us even more motivated to get a positive result."

Stuttgart are seeking a maiden Champions League victory over Spanish opposition at the eighth attempt (two draws, five defeats), despite winning three of their last four European ties against La Liga clubs. The hosts must also tighten up after conceding across each of their last 13 home games in the competition. Conversely, Atleti have lost five of their six group-stage trips to Germany since beating Dortmund 2-1 in October 1996.