After an unsuccessful Champions League campaign in 2024/25, Stuttgart will try their luck in the Europa League after ending their trophy drought by winning the DFB Cup last season. And to kick things off, they will face the inexperienced team of Celta Vigo.
Stuttgart’s recent Bundesliga campaign was nothing short of disappointing, especially after they finished 3rd the year prior. The Swabians finished 9th in 2024/25 but secured the DFB Cup trophy, which sent them straight to the Europa League with the additional spot guaranteed to the winning side. On paper, Stuttgart should have better chances here, but their latest form can be defined with words like inconsistent and unconvincing.
Dedicated fans may remember the times when Celta Vigo reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2016/17. But we should also note that the Celestes haven’t appeared in the competitions since then, so this fixture will be a UEFA debut for both their 37-year-old manager and the majority of the current players. Looking at Celta Vigo’s latest matches, it is extremely intriguing how they managed to get five consecutive 1-1 draws in La Liga. Together with their defeat from the opening round, Celta remain winless in the new campaign but have also shown that beating them is not an easy task.
How the bookies view it: Playing in Germany is hard
While both teams have yet to impress in the new campaign, bookmakers understand that Stuttgart must be much more prepared for this level and give them the betting advantage at 17/20. Meanwhile, you can back the draw at 27/10 or Celta Vigo at 29/10.
Recent head-to-head: Stuttgart won a friendly two months ago
Interestingly, Stuttgart and Celta Vigo have met before at this very competition, but it was all the way back in 2001 in the 1/8 finals. Back then, Celta eliminated Stuttgart 2-1 on aggregate. However, we can mention that the teams met in a pre-season friendly in July, and the Swabians came out on top with 2-1.
Players to watch: A Leweling-Demirovic link-up
Ermedin Demirovic seems to be finding his form and looked great in Stuttgart’s last two games. He scored the consolation goal against Freiburg in the 3-1 loss, and was involved in both goals against St. Pauli (2-0). His tally now includes five goals and one assist in six appearances this season.
On a side note, you should keep your eyes open for Jamie Leweling, who has already halved his total contributions from last season in the last five games alone. First, he scored in the Super Cup match against Bayern Munich. And now, he’s assisted at least once in each of Stuttgart’s last four games.
Probable line-ups
Stuttgart: Nubel, Mittelstadt, Chabot, Jeltsch, Assignon, Chema, Stiller, El Khannouss, Tomas, Leweling, Demirovic
Celta Vigo: Radu, Alonso, Dominguez, Rodriguez, Sotelo, Moriba, Rueda, Mingueza, Aspas, Zaragoza, Iglesias
Anything else catch the eye?
Celta’s recent results are not something you see every day and we can’t imagine a sixth draw in a row, especially against a team as experienced as Stuttgart. This will be Claudio Giraldez’s debut on the big stage as a manager and we expect the Swabians to teach him a quick lesson.
However, Celta have proven that quitting is not in their nature and we expect a solid performance and at least a goal. Stuttgart’s defence is their weak point, so it wouldn’t even surprise us if they concede first. But in the end, we expect a 2-1 or a 3-1 home win.
GambleAware