Everton Face Tough Challenge Against Stuttgart in Pre-Season Match

Everton step up the gears in Germany this weekend, closing their short tour with a far sterner examination: a meeting with Champions League-bound Vfb Stuttgart at the MHPArena.

They arrive with a late surge of confidence. David Moyes’s side edged Hamburg 2-1 in midweek, needing stoppage time and a slice of fortune to get it done. Jordan Torunarigha’s own goal settled it at the death, after Merlin Röhl had marked his return to Germany by opening the scoring.

Four games into a hectic summer, this is where the level rises. Stuttgart are not just another pre-season sparring partner; they are a team on the rise in their own right.

A proper test in Stuttgart

Sebastian Hoeneß has turned Stuttgart into one of the Bundesliga’s most compelling stories. Fourth place last season delivered a ticket back to the Champions League and came alongside a second straight appearance in the DFB-Pokal final. This is a side used to high stakes, high tempo, and high expectations.

For Everton, that makes Saturday far more than a fitness exercise. It is a measuring stick. How far along are Moyes’s plans? How quickly are the new ideas and new faces bedding in? Against Hamburg, the answer was encouraging but imperfect: control in spells, sharpness in moments, but still reliant on a late twist.

The MHPArena will not be forgiving if Everton drift through the gears. Stuttgart, deep into their own preparations, will press, run and test the Premier League side’s structure and concentration.

New faces and returning legs

One new recruit will be watching from afar. Christian Norgaard, signed from Arsenal for £7m earlier this week, will not feature in Germany. The Danish midfielder is due to link up with his new teammates once they return to Finch Farm, where the focus will be on building his fitness before a possible debut against Newcastle United at Murrayfield next Wednesday.

On the pitch in Stuttgart, Moyes can at least call on some fresh legs from within the existing group. Iliman Ndiaye and Nathan Patterson are back in the fold after extended breaks following their 2026 World Cup campaigns. Both now push for their first pre-season minutes, and both bring qualities Everton have missed in their absence: Ndiaye’s movement between the lines, Patterson’s energy and aggression down the right.

Jordan Pickford, who went deep into the tournament with England and reached the semi-finals, will only join the group after the squad returns from Germany. His absence keeps the door open for more minutes for Mark Travers.

James Garner remains sidelined with a groin issue, an unwelcome interruption at a time when midfield chemistry is under the microscope.

Shape, selection and the next step

The expected shape is familiar: a 4-2-3-1 that asks a lot from its double pivot and its wide players. The predicted XI underlines both continuity and experimentation:

Travers; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Röhl, Ireogbunam, Dewsbury-Hall; Dibling, Barry, Ndiaye.

Röhl’s inclusion after his goalscoring return in Hamburg feels inevitable. He carries the ball, he presses, he links play, and in Germany he looks at home. Alongside him, Tim Ireogbunam and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall offer legs and bite, but also a chance for Moyes to see how his midfield balance holds up against a side capable of pinning Everton back.

At the back, James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite again form the core. They will need to be sharp. Stuttgart’s movement and rotations will ask questions that Hamburg could not.

Up front, the trio of Dibling, Barry and Ndiaye hints at mobility and interchange rather than a traditional target presence. It is a front line built to press and break, to exploit space if Stuttgart overcommit.

Kick-off, coverage and what it means

Stuttgart vs Everton kicks off at 4:00 pm BST on Saturday 8th August at the MHPArena in Stuttgart, Germany. The game is available to stream live via evertontv, with one-off match passes on sale at £5.99. Supporters unable to watch can track the action via updates on the ToffeeWeb Live Forum.

Pre-season always carries the caveat that results do not define a campaign. But performances do shape belief. With Newcastle looming in Edinburgh and the Premier League creeping into view, this trip to Stuttgart offers something more valuable than another win: a clear glimpse of whether Everton are genuinely ready to walk into the new season with purpose, or still scrambling for answers.