Happily sitting third in the Bundesliga table, there’s a name we didn’t really expect to see there. Yep, VfB Stuttgart, 16th last season and they are in the chase for a Champions League spot in third place and above RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.
Head coach Sebastien Hoeness has done an incredible job since taking over in the summer. The former FC Bayern youth coach has led his team to 19 wins, five draws, and five defeats in all competitions, and in the league, they have won 10 from 14.
When Die Roten narrowly preserved their place in the German top-flight by beating SV Hamburg in a play-off last June, few could imagine they would be at the other end of the table in a matter of months.
But there they are, and a 1-1 draw with league leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday shows just how far they have come and how much they have improved. Stuttgart’s Bundesliga 2023 results have been little short of miraculous, but Hoeness has not relied on luck at all since he has put together a squad well-equipped to cope with the very best.
Captain Waldermar Aldon has been at the club since 2020, and he has the experience and authority to marshal a well-drilled defence, and midfielder Chris Fuhrich has caught the eye and he scored Stuttgart’s goal against Leverkusen on Sunday.
But today, our SBOTOP focus is on the front men who have terrified opposition defences across Germany.
Serhou Guirassy
With 16 goals from 12 games, Guinea hit man Guirassy is only two behind league leading scorer Harry Kane, and he has played one fewer game.
His goals, 11 in 22 while on loan from Rennes last term, kept Die Roten in the top-flight, and this season, he has stepped on in spectacular fashion. He scored 10 goals in his first five games, including a hat-trick against Mainz, and he has added six from his next seven outings.
A powerful runner and clinical finisher, Guirassy’s momentum was slowed when he picked up a hamstring injury against Union Berlin, but he returned to score in a victory over Borussia Dortmund.
If the Guinean manages to stay fit, then he could easily reach the 30-goal mark, and that would make Stuttgart a serious threat to any team.
Denis Undav
Something of a late bloomer, striker Denis Undav is in the form of his life, and now he is eyeing a place in Germany’s Euro 2024 squad, having started this campaign in superb form.
It has been a meteoric rise for the 27-year-old who first attracted attention in 2020 as a striker with Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise where he scored 35 goals in 51 appearances.
That impressive return persuaded Premier League side Brighton to shell out €7 million for the striker. But he struggled to break into the Seagulls’ first 11, scoring five goals in 22 appearances, and he went back out on loan to Union SG.
In August this year, Undav returned to his native Germany on a season-long loan with Stuttgart, and that has been an inspired move for both the club and the player.
He’s a versatile player, perfectly placed to run off the powerful Guirassy and with the ability to score all manner of goals. Undav bagged seven goals in his first nine appearances, two with his left foot, two with his right foot, and three with his head.
He has a real chance of making the Germany squad for the Euros, and Brighton will be keeping a close eye on Undav.
Silas Katompa Mvumpa
Congo striker Mvumpa may not be as prolific as Guirassy or as versatile as Undav, but he has a frightening weapon in his armoury with his searing pace. Clocking in at 35.97 km/h, Mvumpa is the one of the fastest players in the league, and his electric runs strike fear into opposing fullbacks.
Able to play through the middle or on the right wing, Mvumpa has been with Stuttgart since 2019, scoring 25 goals in 96 appearances and, at 25 years of age, he is still to reach his prime. Like Guirassy, his strength is a key asset, and this is an attack which is not easy for any defence to bully.
Next up for VfB Stuttgart, it’s the reigning champions Bayern Munich who have just been thumped 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt in one of the shocks of the season. VfB follow that up with a home game against FC Augsburg, and four points from those two matches will be a good return.
Stuttgart were German Champions as recently as 2007, and though the current Bundesliga 2023 betting odds make them long shots fourth favourites, a top four place is within their grasp if they keep scoring goals.
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