VfB target Supercup upset

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1) A 'home' final

Going up against Bayern is always a formidable task, but Stuttgart will be buoyed by the fact that the Supercup will be taking place at their MHP Arena.

With that honour also comes favourable seating allocations with the contest essentially being treated as a Stuttgart home game.

That means the hosts receive 90 per cent of the tickets, so expect the stadium to be full of Stuttgart fans, something that may just push them over the line as winners.

Watch: Stuttgart to host 2025 Franz Beckenbauer Supercup

2) Triple-threat attack

It's no secret that Stuttgart - Supercup runners-up a year ago - possess some of the best strikers in the league, with Nick Woltemade, Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirović offering the Swabians a fantastic goal output.

Despite their ninth-placed finish last season, Stuttgart still scored the fifth most goals, with the aforementioned star trio providing 36 of them. 

Demirović led they way with 15 - six more than Germany teammate Undav - but it's Woltemade who took the headlines and continues to be the subject of some heavy interest from Supercup opponents Bayern. He really is that good.

Watch: Why Nick Woltemade is a man in demand

3) A metronomic midfield

In addition to their prolific attackers, Stuttgart have a fantastic midfield pivot in captain Atakan Karazor and former Bayern youngster Angelo Stiller.

Karazor offers the back four defensive stability, allowing Stiller - Stuttgart's most creative player last term with seven assists - to dictate the tempo of games.

The pair also boasted pass completion stats of approximately 90 percent, while Karazor ranked 13th league wide for challenges won (324).

The only concern is whether Stiller will be fit, after suffering a knee injury in pre-season.

Watch: Angelo Stiller's best passes

4) Consistency is key

In comparison to a turbulent summer in 2024, when the likes of Serhou Guirassy, Waldemar Anton and Hiroki Ito all left the club, the summer 2025 transfer window has seen far fewer first-team departures, with Enzo Millot the only notable name to ship out.

That means that head coach Sebastian Hoeneß has now been working with this group for over a year, and in that time, many players have seen their game noticeably improve.

It also means that the side that won the DFB Cup final against Arminia Bielefeld in May is relatively unchanged, proving some welcome continuity against a Bayern team that's lost a handful of senior players and is still in the process of bedding in a few more.

5) Gaps to exploit

Although Stuttgart are urgently waiting on news regarding the fitness of Stiller, Bayern have some notable absentees of their own.

Playmaker par excellence Jamal Musiala will play no part, having suffered a serious leg injury in Bayern's FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. 

Left-back Alphonso Davies is another long-term absentee, with his pace and directness another big miss, while ex-Stuttgart defender Hiroki Ito has been out of action since the end of March.

Whisper it quietly, but there might not be a better time to face the record champions...