VfB Stuttgart could not have drawn a harder Bundesliga opener: a trip to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. According to reporting published on 24 August 2026, they arrive with a growing injury list, and the cruellest case is Nikolas Nartey. The Danish midfielder was the surprise story of pre-season – he had beaten a player described as a World Cup candidate to a place in the pecking order – and he should have travelled to Munich with genuine momentum. Instead, the bad luck that has defined his Stuttgart career has struck again.
Nartey Won His Place on the Pitch, Then Lost It in the Treatment Room
Nikolas Nartey was Stuttgart’s biggest pre-season riser. The Denmark-born midfielder had spent years on the fringes of the squad, but a strong summer of training and friendlies pushed him up the pecking order, past a team-mate widely regarded as a World Cup contender. That is a promotion earned in training, not bought in the market.
The pattern, though, is depressingly familiar. Nartey’s Stuttgart career has been repeatedly interrupted by fitness problems, and each setback has arrived just as he began to string appearances together. This one lands on the eve of the season’s most demanding away day.
For head coach Sebastian Hoeness, it is a practical headache rather than a sentimental one. He loses a solution that had only just established itself, and he has to redraw the plan against the strongest side in the league in week one.
The Right-Back Problem Premier League Fans Will Recognise
The position under pressure is right-back, where Stuttgart’s options include French defender Lorenz Assignon, who came through at Rennes, and Josha Vagnoman. Nartey’s pre-season form had scrambled that hierarchy; his injury scrambles it again.
Any English fan who has watched a club go into a season with one fit specialist full-back knows how this ends. The full-back is asked to defend one-on-one, overlap, and cover the half-space, and improvised cover in that role tends to be exposed within twenty minutes against elite opposition.
At the Allianz Arena, that exposure is close to guaranteed. Bayern build to isolate wide defenders and attack the channel behind them from the opening whistle.
Bayern’s Premier League Imports Make This Worse
Bayern’s attack now carries a heavy Premier League accent. Colombian winger Luis Diaz joined from Liverpool, bringing the same direct, low-centre-of-gravity dribbling that made him a problem for English full-backs for three and a half seasons at Anfield.
On the other side, Michael Olise arrived from Crystal Palace in 2024 and has become one of the most creative wide players in Germany. A right-back facing Olise is defending a left-footer who cuts inside to shoot and cross with the same action.
Put simply: this is the worst possible fixture in which to field a makeshift defensive line. Stuttgart’s injury issues are not an abstract squad-list problem – they map directly onto Bayern’s greatest strengths.
An Unfinished Transfer Window Adds to the Uncertainty
Stuttgart spent weeks of the summer pursuing striker Dzenan Pejcinovic, and the move has not been presented as completed. At the same time, several players have left the club and the rumour mill over further departures was still turning as the season kicked off.
That churn is part of why the squad looks brittle. A group in flux absorbs injuries badly, because there has been no time to drill replacements into the patterns the coach wants.
The standard caveat applies: until a club issues an official announcement, a pursuit is a pursuit and not a signing. Everything currently circulating around Stuttgart’s outgoings falls into the reported category.
What the Opener Really Tells Us About Stuttgart’s Season
Stuttgart’s modern reputation is built on development and resale – identifying players, improving them, and cashing in. Nartey’s pre-season breakthrough was that model working from the inside, which is exactly why losing him stings beyond one fixture.
The meaningful measure on matchday one is not the scoreline in Munich. It is whether Stuttgart can field a functioning back four and get out of the fixture without adding more names to the treatment table.
If the injuries persist and the window closes without resolving the squad’s thin spots, an opening run that looked survivable on paper could cost points that matter in the European race come spring.
FAQ
Why is Nikolas Nartey missing Stuttgart’s Bundesliga opener at Bayern Munich?
He has been hit by another fitness problem. Nartey has a long history of injuries at Stuttgart, and this setback arrived immediately after he had forced his way up the pecking order in pre-season.
Who else can play right-back for VfB Stuttgart?
The main options are French defender Lorenz Assignon, a Rennes academy product, and Josha Vagnoman. Nartey had inserted himself into that competition before his injury.
Has Stuttgart signed striker Dzenan Pejcinovic?
There has been no official confirmation. The club pursued the striker for weeks over the summer, but until Stuttgart announce a deal it should be treated as a reported target rather than a completed transfer.
Which former Premier League players are in Bayern Munich’s attack?
Luis Diaz joined from Liverpool, and Michael Olise signed from Crystal Palace in 2024. Both give Bayern direct, one-on-one threat from wide areas.
Where is the Bayern Munich vs VfB Stuttgart fixture played?
At the Allianz Arena in Munich, Bayern’s home ground and one of the toughest away trips in European football.
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