VfB Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain will be eager to confirm their spots in the top 24 when they face off at the MHPArena on Wednesday.
The opening phase of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League clash ends with Matchday 8 on Wednesday. The action on the day will start and end with 18 simultaneous games, including VfB Stuttgart vs PSG at the MHPArena.
VfB Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain have endured frustrating UEFA Champions League outings thus far in the 2024/25 season, with the two teams struggling to build sufficient momentum. That has meant that neither side can secure automatic qualification to the round of 16, as they cannot finish in the top eight. However, neither club can afford to slip up, with three teams outside the top 24 ready to usurp them from the playoff positions.
Fortunately for the two teams, they have won their last two Champions League clashes to park themselves in the top 24 and leave their fate in their hands. While Stuttgart got past BSC Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava in the previous two matchdays, PSG beat Red Bull Salzburg and Manchester City in those rounds of fixtures.
Meanwhile, Stuttgart suffered a 2-0 defeat to FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga this past weekend as momentum continues to elude Sebastian Hoeness’s charges. On the other hand, PSG squandered a one-goal lead to play out a 1-1 draw with Stade de Reims a few days ago.
VfB Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain will face off for the first time on Wednesday, and The Hard Tackle looks closer at the UEFA Champions League encounter ahead of the maiden meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
VfB Stuttgart
Sebastian Hoeness has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The VfB Stuttgart manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs PSG on Wednesday.
Anthony Rouault is the latest absentee as he serves a suspension in the midweek UEFA Champions League clash. The French defender has joined Dan-Axel Zagadou (knee) and Luca Raimund (hamstring), El Bilal Toure (foot), and Justin Diehl (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Alexander Nubel will take his spot between the sticks, with VfB Stuttgart lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs PSG on Wednesday. The backline should feature Josha Vagnoman, Maximilian Mittelstadt, Jeff Chabot, and Ameen Al-Dakhil. Al-Dakhil will deputise for Rouault in the defensive quartet.
As for the midfield unit, Angelo Stiller will aim to hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Enzo Millot and Yannik Keitel providing defensive support to him and creative impetus to the attackers. Finally, Deniz Undav will lead the line for VfB Stuttgart against Paris Saint-Germain, with Chris Fuhrich and Jamie Leweling being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Nubel; Vagnoman, Al-Dakhil, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Keitel, Stiller, Millot; Leweling, Undav, Fuhrich
Paris Saint-Germain
Like his counterpart in the VfB Stuttgart dugout, Luis Enrique has a new concern to worry about ahead of the trip to the MHPArena. The Paris Saint-Germain manager will be without one first-team player on Wednesday.
Nuno Mendes picked up a yellow card against Manchester City last week, with the booking earning him a one-match suspension for the clash on Matchday 8 against VfB Stuttgart. Otherwise, Enrique does not have any issues.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is an automatic pick between the sticks, with PSG lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday. The backline should feature Achraf Hakimi, Marquinho, Willian Pacho, and Lucas Hernandez.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz in the middle of the park, with Warren Zaire-Emery being a backup option on the bench. Finally, Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, and Bradley Barcola should form the offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Hernandez; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Dembele, Doue, Barcola
Key Stats
- VfB Stuttgart have lost only one of their four previous meetings at home with a French opponent in European competition (W2 D1), although that came in their most recent tie, losing 2-0 to Lyon in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage.
- Paris Saint-Germain have lost eight of their 13 away games in the UEFA Champions League against German opposition (W3 D2), holding their joint-worst win rate on the road in the competition against German teams (23% – level with English opposition – minimum six trips).
- PSG have only won one of their last six away games in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League while suffering four defeats in this run (D1) – as many as in their previous 22 such matches combined (W12 D6). However, that victory came in the most recent tie, with Les Parisiens winning 3-0 at Red Bull Salzburg.
- PSG have not lost their final group/league phase game in a UEFA Champions League campaign since 2017/18 (1-3 vs Bayern Munich), winning five of their last six such matches in the competition (D1). They have scored 21 goals in those six games, only conceding five times.
- No team has had more players score for them in the UEFA Champions League this season than VfB Stuttgart (10 – excluding own goals). With his brace against Slovan Bratislava, Jamie Leweling became their joint-top scorer (2) in the 2024/25 Champions League (Leweling and Enzo Millot being the only players to score more than once).
Player to Watch
Bradley Barcola
While Angelo Stiller and Ousmane Dembele were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bradley Barcola as our Player to Watch for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between VfB Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain.
While Kylian Mbappe has left a gaping hole in the offensive unit, Barcola has been a standout performer for PSG. The Frenchman’s exploits have piqued the attention of several European bigwigs, including Manchester City. While a move away from PSG might not be on the cards, Barcola will be Luis Enrique’s go-to man to produce the goods in the final third.
Prediction
VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain
While a top-eight finish is beyond VfB Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain, they can ensure progress to the playoffs as a seeded team with a win. So, there is much to play for in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash at MHPArena. However, recent performances do not provide cause for optimism for either team.
The hosts have yet to win successive home matches in the UEFA Champions League in over two decades. On the other hand, Luis Enrique has never overseen three consecutive victories as the PSG manager. Meanwhile, the Ligue 1 champions have a dreadful record on the road, winning only one of their last six away games in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
The issues do not stop there, with neither team having prolific scorers in this season’s UEFA Champions League. So, while Stuttgart and PSG will produce an end-to-end affair, productivity in the final third might cause a problem. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw, which should be enough to seal a spot in the playoffs for the two sides.
