By last Saturday at the latest, VfB Stuttgart had really made their mark in the Bundesliga. After an impressive, albeit pointless, performance in the opening fixture against SC Freiburg (2-3), the Swabians secured their first points since returning to the top-flight at FSV Mainz 05 – and in style too! 4-1 to VfB in the end in spite of going behind early on. A genuine statement from the newly promoted club. At the same time: The team from the capital of Baden-Württemberg are not a classic newly promoted side. Despite being relegated twice in the last four years, the 2007 champions of Germany are an inherent part of the Bundesliga and want to confirm that status in the future. “We feel we’ve arrived in the league with that win,” declared head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, who took over the helm at VfB at the turn of the year. “That gives us stability and confidence. If we perform to our ability then we will be in a position to cause problems for lots of teams.”
There was slightly bad news for VfB at the end of the game in Mainz: Defender Pascal Stenzel was shown a second yellow card in added time and is now suspended for the match against Bayer 04. The focus of the Swabians is now on Konstantinos Mavropanos: The Greek central defender, on loan from Arsenal and at FC Nürnberg for the second half of the last second division, joined VfB in the summer but has yet to play for Stuttgart due to a groin problem. Hope rests on the powerful defender making his debut against Werkself. If Mavropanos is not available then the recently injured Atakan Karazor or Marcin Kaminski may fill the final place in the back three alongside Marc-Oliver Kempf and new signing Waldemar Anton.
Coach Matarazzo is missing two of his most dangerous strikers up front: For loan returnee Erik Thommy, the game against Bayer 04 comes too early after a broken elbow and forward Nicolás González is ruled out with a muscle injury. The latter’s absence is a particular problem as the Argentinian was by far the top scorer for VfB in last season’s second division campaign with 14 goals.
Even without González and Thommy, the VfB attack has been firing on all cylinders to date. Only record champions Bayern plus league leaders Hoffenheim have scored more goals than Stuttgart (six) on the first two matchdays – and that despite a rather poor conversion rate on the first matchday against Freiburg. The Swabians can count on a front line made up of players with different qualities that have certainly been extended: the lightning performances of the tricky Silas Wamangituka, the clever passes from former Leverkusen player Gonzalo Castro, long-range shots and set-pieces from playmaker Daniel Didavi, the physical presence and heading ability of the two-metre tall central striker Kalajdzic plus the carefree approach of the two youngsters Mateo Klimowicz and Roberto Massimo. In addition, Matarazzo has been able to rely to a great extent on his promotion-winning team – and they work together brilliantly. “We’re a great group and the team spirit is fantastic,” Didavi said recently.
VfB cannot be looking to come from behind every week. Against Freiburg, the three-goal deficit proved to be too much in the end to get a result despite a fantastic final effort late on. And Stuttgart also went behind against Mainz. After the Freiburg game, Matarazzo sounded a warning: “We were rather naive in defence. We weren’t alert enough.” And then: The first attack for Mainz and it goes in. Again it was relatively simple. In the coming weeks, Stuttgart have to be alert in defence, above all – particularly in the opening stages.
There is no doubt that VfB definitely have the quality to do well in the league. Above all, staying up so the club can again secure a foothold in the top flight. If Thommy and González can raise the quality of the attack after their return from injury and the defence be more solid with Mavropanos providing stability, then nothing should stand in the way of that target.
Kicking off the new season with a fresh look: Bayer 04, in collaboration with sportswear manufacturer New Balance, has unveiled the official kit for Leverkusen’s e-Sports players for the coming season. The jersey is now available from the Bayer 04 online shop and the Fanwelt.
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Paulo Sergio and Bayer 04 have enjoyed close ties since the Werkself training camp in his native Brazil last summer. The club legend is in charge of the Bayer 04 Soccer Academy, which opened in the summer of 2025, and he has also been at this year’s training camp in the Weimarer Land. As well as interacting with the many fans who travelled to the camp, the 1994 World Cup winner used the time to plan the next steps for the Academy together with club officials. In an interview with bayer04.de, Sergio spoke about the project’s future development, the upcoming visit by young Academy players to Leverkusen, and plans for the coming months in Germany and Brazil.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day five (Thursday 6 August) is as follows: The squad have the final open session of the training camp in the morning. After lunch, there will be a team event.
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A round-up of the Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land, all in one place: in our daily blog you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day four (Wednesday 5 August) is all about training. The day begins with a gruelling open training session – new signing Miguel Gutiérrez also takes part. A second session follows in the afternoon, this time behind closed doors.
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At the training camp in the Weimarer Land region, Bayer 04 head coach Carles Martínez and his long-standing assistant Pol García talk about their first few weeks with the Werkself, their expectations of their own work, the coaching staff and the squad, as well as the style of football they want the team to play. They emphasise the importance of a winning mentality within the team, comment on cultural and personal differences in the world of football, and outline their goals for the coming season...
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