Stuttgart begin their latest Champions League campaign at the MHPArena on Wednesday evening, where Norwegian challengers Viking FK arrive for their first appearance at this level since 1992.

Sebastian Hoeness’s side have already produced nine goals across an eventful start to the German season, while Viking earned their place in the league phase by eliminating Dinamo Zagreb and travel to Germany unbeaten in five matches. The visitors have already exceeded expectations simply by reaching this stage, but Stuttgart represent a substantial increase in difficulty.

Stuttgart’s attacking strength can mask an imperfect start

Returning to the Champions League represents another significant achievement for Hoeness and Stuttgart. A fourth-place Bundesliga finish brought them back into Europe’s premier competition after spending last season in the Europa League, although their previous Champions League experience provides a reminder of how unforgiving this level can be.

Stuttgart collected 10 points in 2024-25 but finished 26th and missed out on the knockout rounds. Their home record proved particularly costly, with only one victory from four European matches at the MHPArena.

There is greater confidence around their own stadium now. Stuttgart are unbeaten in their last five home fixtures in all competitions, winning four, and their opening three games of 2026-27 have demonstrated considerable attacking potential. They have already scored nine times despite winning only two of those matches.

The exception was an opening Bundesliga defeat to Bayern Munich, which also accounts for five of the seven goals Stuttgart have conceded this season. Remove that particularly punishing encounter and the picture looks considerably healthier.

Still, Hoeness has defensive issues to address. Dan-Axel Zagadou is among as many as seven players expected to be unavailable, potentially leaving Finn Jeltsch, Jeff Chabot and Maximilian Mittelstädt together in a three-man defence. Angelo Stiller and Grischa Prömel could provide protection in central midfield.

Those absences may encourage Viking to believe they can create chances, but Stuttgart possess the attacking quality to make the match extremely uncomfortable at the other end.

Deniz Undav is available to spearhead the attack and should be central to the hosts’ approach. Against opponents likely to spend extended periods defending close to their own penalty area, his movement and finishing could prove particularly valuable.

For Stuttgart, this is also the kind of Champions League fixture they cannot afford to waste. With much tougher assignments inevitably waiting later in the league phase, three points at home to Viking should be regarded as a requirement rather than a bonus.

Viking’s remarkable journey now reaches its biggest stage

Whatever happens in Stuttgart, Viking have already made history. Their last Champions League campaign came 34 years ago, when Barcelona ended their challenge in 1992. More than three decades later, Morten Jensen has taken the Stavanger club back into Europe’s premier competition after a qualifying campaign that culminated in a memorable victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

That playoff demonstrated why Stuttgart should not treat the Norwegian side as ceremonial participants. Viking drew 2-2 in Zagreb before completing a 5-3 aggregate victory, showing both attacking ambition and the composure to finish the job when the pressure increased.

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Their domestic form offers further evidence that this is a team arriving with genuine confidence. Viking sit second in the Eliteserien with 44 points from 19 matches, three behind Bodø/Glimt, and are unbeaten in five matches across all competitions. They have won three of those games and scored 11 times during that sequence.

Their away record is also respectable. Just one defeat from their last seven matches on the road suggests Jensen’s team are capable of remaining competitive outside Stavanger, even if three of those fixtures ended level.

The difficulty is translating those qualities to a dramatically higher standard. Stuttgart will move the ball more quickly than most opponents Viking encounter domestically and should be capable of pinning the visitors back for long stretches. The Norwegians therefore need to be disciplined without becoming entirely passive.

Jensen is unlikely to move far from the team that completed the job against Dinamo. Gianni Stensness and Jesper Daland should form the central defensive partnership, with Joe Bell providing an important screen in midfield.

Further forward, Peter Christiansen offers the focal point, while Zlatko Tripić and Amin Cosic give Viking outlets from wider areas.

Tripić could be especially important. If Viking spend most of the evening defending, his ability to turn recoveries into meaningful counter-attacks may determine whether Stuttgart can commit numbers forward without consequence.

Verdict: Viking can threaten, but Stuttgart should have too much

The gap in European experience is considerable, but this should not be mistaken for a routine mismatch from the opening whistle.

Viking earned their place by eliminating Dinamo Zagreb and arrive with both confidence and attacking threat. Stuttgart’s injury problems and failure to keep a clean sheet this season also provide a clear route for the visitors to cause problems.

The challenge will be sustaining that threat while dealing with Stuttgart’s attacking pressure. Hoeness’s team have scored nine times already, are increasingly reliable at the MHPArena and possess substantially greater depth. Viking may survive periods of pressure and could even find a goal, but keeping Stuttgart under control for the entire evening is a much bigger ask.

The hosts should ultimately create too many chances and begin their Champions League campaign with a victory, although Viking have enough attacking quality to ensure it is not entirely comfortable.

Tip

Stuttgart to win and both teams to score.

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