Stuttgart, May 9, 2026, 15:09 CEST
VfB Stuttgart shuffled their starting eleven with four changes, while Bayer Leverkusen opted for just one ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga clash at the MHPArena. The 15:30 CEST kickoff carries major weight in Germany’s battle for fourth. Stuttgart reinstated Ermedin Demirović up front; Leverkusen brought Christian Kofane in just behind Patrik Schick.
Fourth spot suddenly carries real weight. Leverkusen hold fourth, Stuttgart trail in fifth, both sitting on 58 points after 32 matches, Hoffenheim level with them in sixth. The top four make it into the UEFA Champions League, the continent’s premier club tournament.
Spain snatched the additional UEFA coefficient spot this week, closing off Germany’s chance for a fifth Champions League berth—unless Freiburg take the Europa League. Now, Stuttgart-Leverkusen reads less as a gauge of momentum, more as a straight-up decider.
Sebastian Hoeneß made multiple changes to his Stuttgart squad after the 3-3 at Hoffenheim, naming Maximilian Mittelstädt, Chema Andrés, Nikolas Nartey and Demirović in the starting lineup. Out went Joshua Vagnoman, Luca Jaquez, Atakan Karazor and Bilal El Khannouss. Karazor, already suspended with a red card from Hoffenheim, missed Stuttgart’s final home league clash.
Leverkusen’s Kasper Hjulmand opted to swap out Nathan Tella for Kofane following the 4-1 victory against RB Leipzig. The visiting side sticks with a 3-4-2-1 setup: Mark Flekken starts in goal, Jarell Quansah, Robert Andrich, and Edmond Tapsoba form the back line, and Schick is up front.
Stuttgart line up with Nübel in goal, then Nartey, Hendriks, Chabot, and Mittelstädt across the back. Andrés and Stiller sit in midfield, with Leweling, Undav, and Führich supporting Demirović up front. As for Leverkusen, Flekken gets the nod in goal. Quansah, Andrich, and Tapsoba anchor the defense. Culbreath, García, Palacios, and Grimaldo make up the midfield line, while Maza and Kofane flank Schick in attack.
Leverkusen come in riding a sharper late surge. Bayer, thanks to Schick’s hat-trick against Leipzig, pulled even with Stuttgart and Hoffenheim on 58 points, according to the Bundesliga. Hjulmand put it simply: his squad “took advantage” after Stuttgart’s slip at Hoffenheim. Bundesliga
Stuttgart’s view on that Hoffenheim draw stands apart. Demirović described it as “the most important of the season”; goalkeeper Alexander Nübel went further, saying it “felt like a win” after Stuttgart clawed back from two goals behind, down to 10 men. Bundesliga
The broader standings turn up the pressure. On Friday, Reuters said Borussia Dortmund locked up second place with 70 points, trailing champions Bayern Munich. RB Leipzig, third with 62 points and a match still to play, kept their hopes alive; Leverkusen, Stuttgart, and Hoffenheim round out the chasing group.
The risk is obvious. Stuttgart and Bremen both play later that afternoon at Hoffenheim, so if Stuttgart settle for a draw, Hoffenheim could leapfrog them with a win. Leverkusen only lead Stuttgart on goal difference—+23 compared to Stuttgart’s +20, the goals scored minus goals conceded tiebreaker.
Stuttgart’s only real takeaway from their last clash with Leverkusen is the memory. In January, they ran out 4-1 winners at the BayArena—Jamie Leweling bagged a brace, Undav added another before the break. As Reuters pointed out, that win snapped Leverkusen’s 15-match unbeaten streak in the matchup, according to BuliNews.
