VfB Stuttgart end seven-year hoodoo to kick start 2026 in scintillating fashion with big win against Bayer Leverkusen

Meetings between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart rarely disappoint, and their Matchday 16 clash was no exception as Stuttgart ended their seven-year period of suffering.

Winless in their 15 previous competitive meetings, which have either ended in a Leverkusen win (nine) or a draw (six), you have to go back to April 2018 for Stuttgart's last victory over the Werkself. Since then, VfB have been on the receiving end of 5-2 and 4-2 defeats and, more recently, were involved in an agonising penalty shootout loss in the 2024 Supercup and a 4-3 defeat in March.

Heading into 2026, though, Stuttgart have finally got the upper hand. Their spectacular 4-1 victory to kick start 2026 also marked Sebastian Hoeneß's first win against Leverkusen, having remained winless in his previous 11 competitive matches as both Hoffenheim and Stuttgart head coach.

Watch: Leverkusen 1-4 Stuttgart

Arriving in Leverkusen unbeaten in two matches and full of belief, Hoeneß’s side tore through Kasper Hjulmand's men in clinical fashion. Saturday’s win was sparked by a daring tactical alteration as Hoeneß opted for two up top in Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling - a move that proved successful.

Dominant from the start, Stuttgart played with attacking flair as Undav twice provided for Leweling - who recorded his first brace in the Bundesliga - scoring either side of Maximilian Mittelstädt, before Undav struck himself as Hoeneß’s side raced into a comfortable 4-0 lead heading into the break.

“We’re glad that we finally managed to win here and get the three points,” beamed Undav, who hit his ninth Bundesliga goal of the campaign.

“We knew that Leverkusen would switch and run a lot, and we were able to exploit that with our man-to-man marking. Our first four shots on goal – five if you include the offside goal – went in, which settled the contest early for us. Leverkusen also had good chances but the luck was on our side today.”

Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling are developing an exciting understanding. - Lars Baron

Hoeneß had nothing but praise for his team, who scored four goals for the second time in three Bundesliga games to go level on 29 points with Saturday’s opponents.

“The performance in the first 30 minutes was really good, and it’s a deserved win,” said the 43-year-old.

“The belief and the conviction are now immediately back. We want to draw strength from that for the coming weeks.”

Watch: All Deniz Undav's Bundesliga goals

Chalking nine goals and providing two assists since his return from injury, Undav is showing no signs of ring rust - only Harry Kane (19) has more goals this season than the German attacker with ambitions to make the World Cup. 

The 29-year-old’s return to form will be music to the ears of Julian Nagelsmann, who relied on a Stuttgart core for Euro 2024. With Alexander Nübel, who made several strong saves against Leverkusen, Mittelstadt netting and Chris Führich assisting, Angelo Stiller featuring and masterclass performances from Undav and Leweling, Germany’s head coach will be keeping a watchful eye on the Swabian club over the coming months ahead of announcing his squad.

After breaking their barren run against Leverkusen, Stuttgart now prepare for an equally difficult game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday (kick-off: 6.30pm CET) where they will look to prolong their unbeaten streak.

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