The 2020/21 campaign was one to savour for VfB Stuttgart and their American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, giving them the perfect platform to build on when the 2021/22 season rolls around.

Last season

Having immediately bounced back from their 2018/19 relegation with promotion after just a one-year stay in the second division, their performances in 2020/21 made it look like Stuttgart had never left the Bundesliga. Matarazzo's team caught the eye with a breathless approach that saw them lose just twice across the first 12 matchdays of the season. During that run, they demolished Borussia Dortmund 5-1 at the Signal Iduna Park and they remained serious European contenders until a run of six defeats over the final nine weeks saw them level out into mid-table.

That was still a fine return for Stuttgart, who in the process unearthed some real gems last time out. Sasa Kalajdzic's 16 league goals were the most in the VfB ranks and earned him the chance to shine for Austria at this summer's UEFA Euro 2020. Silas also made an electric start with 11 goals in 25 appearances, but his season was brought to a cruelly abrupt end through injury, just as Stuttgart were looking to press on during its closing stages. Borna Sosa was another standout, with his wand of a left-foot posing problem after problem for opposition defenders up and down the country.

Watch: Stuttgart blew Dortmund away - and cost Lucien Favre his job - on Matchday 11

New arrivals

With Gonzalo Castro (out of contract), Nico Gonzalez (Fiorentina) and Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund) all departing the club this summer, Stuttgart have made moves of their own to not only replace that trio but improve on last season's efforts.

Naouirou Ahamada's loan move from Juventus has been made permanent, while Konstantinos Mavropanos has extended his stay for another term. Florian Müller has also been drafted in from Mainz to fill Kobel's gloves, while teenaged attacking midfielder Ömer Beyaz (Fenerbahce), German winger Chris Führich (Paderborn), and Sudanese striker Alou Kuol (Central Coast Mariners) have all been recruited in attack. French 18-year-old Moussa Cisse has also arrived at the Mercedes Benz Arena from Paris Saint-Germain, but will initially join the club's U21s.

How might Stuttgart line up?

Florian Müller is the new man between the Stuttgart goal posts, but the first-choice XI has mostly remained intact. - DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga

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What to expect

If the previous season is anything to go by, expect yet more entertainment from Stuttgart in 2021/22. They proved last time around that they're more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the Bundesliga's big boys and a more sustained European push is far from out of the question.

Kalajdzic's goals and Sosa's supply of them will be crucial if VfB are to take the leap from mid-table into the top six. Another top-half finish would be more than an adequate return for Matarazzo, but the ambitious coach will be hoping for even more. Stuttgart will also be out to better their third round exit to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB Cup, a competition VfB have won three times previously.

Borna Sosa and Sasa Kalajdzic (l-r.) formed a potent double act for Stuttgart in 2020/21. - Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images

Opening fixtures

DFB Cup: BFC Dynamo 0-6 Stuttgart
Stuttgart vs. Greuther Fürth (Saturday, 14 August)
RB Leipzig vs. Stuttgart (Friday, 20 August)
Stuttgart vs. Freiburg (Saturday, 28 August)
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Stuttgart (Sunday, 12 September)
Stuttgart vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Sunday, 19 September)
Bochum vs. Stuttgart (Sunday, 26 September)

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About the clubs

VfB Stuttgart

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