Stuttgart vs Young Boys

There’s no margin for error for resurgent Stuttgart as they entertain beleaguered Young Boys in a must-win UEFA Champions League game at the MHPArena.

Stuttgart pulled off a stunning fightback to beat fellow Bundesliga rivals Union Berlin 3-2 last weekend, posting a second straight win for only the second time this season. Head coach Sebastian Hoeness hopes his side can leverage the momentum and erase the memory of a disastrous 5-1 defeat at Red Star Belgrade in their last Champions League outing. Since it was their third loss in five league phase fixtures (W1, D1), it’s unsurprising they lag behind the knockout qualification spots ahead of the kick-off. The impending home return may not be as encouraging for the Germans as you’d expect, considering they’ve only scored once in two Champions League games at the MHPArena this term (D1, L1). But back-to-back home wins can inspire confidence around the Stuttgart camp.

Visiting Young Boys can hardly do anything to stop Stuttgart from making it three wins in a row for the first time in 2024/25 following another sub-par domestic result at the weekend. A 3-1 loss at Sion marked their second multi-goal margin reverse across their last four competitive outings (W2). The other heavy defeat came in this competition as a 6-1 home thrashing against Atalanta left the Swiss side at the bottom as one of only three pointless teams in the 36-team Champions League table. Except for a 1-0 home loss to Inter Milan in round three, Young Boys have been leaking goals at an alarming rate, conceding 16 across their four remaining league phase fixtures!