UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid – VfB Stuttgart – VfB Stuttgart – Forum | Page 37

To get you in the mood for the game of games, I would like to quote the lyrics of a song that I have listened to over and over again in the last weeks and months:

Goosebumps while reading? Very good.

Folks, it’s getting serious! The first CL game with VfB participation in exactly 14.5 years is coming up! The last time VfB played with the CL logo on their arm, they were beaten 4-0 in the round of 16 by FC Barcelona with a brilliant Messi on March 17, 2010 (the old hands will remember the legendary STT). Just to put it in perspective, how long ago that actually was: the last time VfB played in the CL, the reigning German champions were VfL Wolfsburg. Lamine Yamal was 2.5 years old. And since then, 19 (interim) coaches have sat on the bench at VfB.
But enough about the past, let’s move on to the present: On Tuesday, VfB Stuttgart will be visiting the great Real Madrid CF in the legendary Santiago Bernabeu. For any footballer, this will be one of the greatest experiences a professional can have. Real Madrid, the reigning record champions, will be waiting for them and will be looking to make a statement about defending their title. And summer newcomer Kylian Mbappe is looking to make his mark in his first CL game for the Royals. But even if Mbappe stands out from the star ensemble, the other players are of course not to be underestimated. The other two attacking stars Vini Jr. and Rodrygo alone have a higher market value than the entire VfB team. Not to mention the outstanding midfield.

But let’s take a closer look at the hosts from Madrid:

I don’t think I need to introduce the most successful club in the world in detail. Anyone who is interested in football will not be able to avoid this club. In recent years in particular, they have been able to underline their global dominance with numerous CL titles. They have been able to cope with the age-related changes of departing world stars in an excellent way and now a new generation of royals is emerging to win the CL several times. I have already mentioned the attacking three of Mbappe, Vini Jr. and Rodrygo, the midfield is similarly well-staffed with Bellingham, Valverde, Camavinga and Tchouameni and the defence also has well-known faces from the Bundesliga, particularly Carvajal, Rüdiger and Alaba. And this world selection is coached by Carlo Ancelotti, who feels like he has already won everything there is to win. The Galacticos have had a good start to the season, if not outstanding. They won the UEFA Super Cup 2-0 against the EL winners Atalanta (who we will also face) and are in third place in the league with 11 points from 5 games, although the draws against Mallorca and Las Palmas can certainly be seen as a disappointment. That is precisely why they will be looking for a successful home start in the CL. Alaba, Camavinga, Bellingham, Diaz and Ceballos will not be able to take part due to injury. Ancelotti could therefore send this eleven into the race: Courtois – Carvajal, Militao, Rüdiger, Mendy – Tchouameni, Valverde – Vini Jr., Güler, Rodrygo – Mbappe

Let’s come to VfB:

On Saturday they finally managed to score their first win in the league, thanks to a strong second half they won the away game in Mönchengladbach 3-1. As a result, VfB is in 10th place in the league with 4 points from 3 games, which isn’t great, but it’s not a classic false start either. The team is clearly experiencing changes in some key positions, the engine is definitely not running as smoothly as it did last season (but that was to be expected). And now comes a real test with Real Madrid. For many players in the squad, it will be their first CL game. With 15 games, Zagadou is the most experienced player in the squad in this respect, with 5 players making 28 appearances in total. Just for comparison: Modric alone has made 128 CL games. The role of favorite is therefore clearly distributed due to class and experience and this could be where VfB’s chance lies: The last games against supposedly bigger teams have shown that, apart from 1.5 bad games against Leipzig and Bayern in the previous season, they can definitely keep up and even take something with them. I think it is undisputed that this requires an absolutely brilliant day and a simultaneous slip-up by the Madrilenians. Nevertheless, Sebastian Hoeneß’s team will not be competing in Madrid as a sparring partner, but will try to make things as difficult as possible for the CL winners. Hoeneß will definitely have to do without Al-Dakhil on this mission, who is injured. Woltemade, Diehl (also injured) and Chase are not nominated. Stergiou, Krätzig, Rouault and Zagadou are questionable, although both of the latter were able to play at least a few minutes in Mönchengladbach. Therefore, the starting eleven could look like this: Nübel – Vagnoman, Rouault, Chabot, Mittelstädt – Karazor, Stiller – Rieder, Millot, Leweling – Undav

Men, celebrate your excellent preseason at the Santiago Bernabeu and make yourselves immortal! You definitely deserve it. And I wish all away fans a safe journey and a safe stay. And that you get to the stadium without any problems…