VfB Stuttgart won 3-0 in Bratislava on Wednesday night. They were comfortable for most of the game, though it took a late goal to make the scoreline look as one-sided as the performance.
How it unfolded
Stuttgart took the lead in the 29th minute and spent most of the first half in control. The second goal arrived in the 65th minute, and the third came right at the end, in the 90th. Slovan had few chances. They managed 14 shots, but only 2 were on target, while Stuttgart put 8 of their 16 shots on target. Stuttgart also won the ball battle with 59% possession and 8 corners to Slovan’s 1.
A familiar opponent
The two clubs had met once before in this competition. Slovan lost 3-1 to Stuttgart in the league stage of the 2024-25 Champions League. The result was the same story again: Slovan were competitive in spells but could not hold on against a deeper side. Stuttgart also had to manage without several players this time. Nikolas Nartey, Tiago Tomas, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Luca Jaquez were all ruled out through injury. They coped without them, which says something about the squad’s depth.
Two very different starts
Stuttgart now have two wins from two in the league phase, after a 3-1 home win in their opener. Slovan, meanwhile, are pointless. They were beaten 6-1 by Paris Saint-Germain on matchday one, and now a 3-0 home loss. The goal difference is going to be a headache, and with the league phase’s high bar for the knockout places, they will need results soon.
What’s next
Stuttgart’s next test is a home game against Atlético Madrid on October 20, which is a much sterner examination of whether this start is more than a good run. Slovan travel to AS Roma on the same night, a tough trip. Their best chances of points probably come from the LASK game on November 3 and the home fixtures later in the autumn, including Real Betis on November 24 and Shakhtar on December 9.