Fixture congestion is becoming a major worry in football, and Stuttgart’s next three weeks will prove a difficult test for last season’s Bundesliga runners-up with games in the league, German Cup and Champions League.
Stuttgart will make the trip to Bayern Munich on Saturday before playing Juventus in Turin on Tuesday. Upon returning to Germany, home games against Holstein Kiel and Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal follow before a trip to Bayer Leverkusen, and a return to Italy where they play Atalanta in the Champions League.
The club’s final game before the November international break is a game against high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt, meaning the club play seven games in a three week spell.
Speaking ahead of VfB’s game against Bayern Munich, Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß discussed the situation. “They are really tough opponents,” said the 42-year-old. “In terms of the strength of the opposition, this is possibly the most intense block I have ever played. It doesn’t get much more intense than this.”
GGFN | Daniel Pinder