Champions League

VFB Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart - VIK Viking Viking

Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart

Viking Viking

MHPArena

Nenad Minaković

Demirović on Stuttgart's 'perfect start'

"For me, it was obviously a perfect start. For us as a team, too. We could have played even better. But as a team, we can be proud that we clearly beat our opponent."

Full-time: VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Viking

Neither side managed to find the back of the net in the second-half, although Stuttgart certainly came close. The visitors started the second 45 well but never really unsettled the Swabians' backline, with the hosts then taking control of the game from that point on. Hoeneß's side start their European journey with a well-deserved win after a confident, free-flowing performance - and Demirović's superb first-half hat-trick.

Full-time

90'

+ 1

Sauer smashes one

He tries his luck from distance with a powerful effort which goes comfortably over.

89'

Undav!

Sauer finds him with a defence-splitting pass on the left-hand side of the box and he looks to find the far top corner with his finish, but his effort flies narrowly over the bar.

87'

Closing minutes

Stuttgart are just minutes away from claiming their first win of the Champions League campaign.

86'

Substitution

Ameen Al-Dakhil

Maximilian Mittelstädt

84'

Substitution

Herman Haugen

Henrik Heggheim

82'

No penalty

Kvia-Egeskog goes down too easily inside the box and sees his claim for a spot-kick waved away.

Frustrated

Despite their best efforts Viking have struggled to break down Stuttgart, who enter the final 15 minutes with a two-goal cushion.

71'

Almost!

Mittelstädt makes a great run down the left flank before trying to square it to Undav, but the pass is intercepted at the crucial moment.

71'

Substitution

Leo Sauer

Bilal El Khannouss

71'

Substitution

Ramon Hendriks

Finn Jeltsch

71'

Substitution

Vetle Auklend

Kristoffer Haugen

71'

Substitution

Simen Kvia-Egeskog

Tobias Moi

Hosts at the wheel

Stuttgart look well in control of proceedings.

66'

Ambitious

Undav tries to catch the keeper off his line from outside the area, but can only find the roof of the net.

64'

Fresh legs

Both sides make double changes as we enter the final half hour, one of which sees hat-trick hero Demirović given a well-earned rest.

62'

Substitution

Henrik Falchener

Jesper Daland

62'

Substitution

Erik Botheim

Joe Bell

62'

Substitution

Josha Vagnoman

Jamie Leweling

62'

Substitution

Dženan Pejčinović

Ermedin Demirović

59'

Dangerous position

Stuttgart win a free-kick just a few yards from the Viking box that Führich bends over the bar.

58'

Yellow card

Joe Bell

55'

Asking questions

Viking have started the second 45 brightly as they look to pull themselves back into this contest.

54'

Yellow card

Peter Christiansen

50'

Early sight of goal

Stuttgart fail to clear inside the box, giving Bjørdal the chance to volley goalward from close range. His effort is deflected over, and Stuttgart clear the following corner.

47'

We're back!

The ball is rolling again here in Stuttgart.

Kick-off!

Half-time

Half-time: VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Viking

The hosts have flown out of the blocks in their European opener, with Demirović firing in a first-half hat-trick to give them the lead going into the break. Viking looked threatening on the counter early on, as evidenced by Tripić's brilliant equaliser, but were overwhelmed in the remainder of the half. Stuttgart went up a gear and gave them little room to breathe, firing in two well-deserved goals and limiting Viking's ability to counter.

45'

+ 2

Thwarted

Viking attempt a breakaway and make good progress, before Bjørdal sees his crossed blocked, and Stuttgart pick up the pieces.

42'

Yellow card

Kristoffer Askildsen

41'

Constant pressure

Stuttgart are looking for a fourth and it might not be far away, with Viking penned in their own defensive third.

38'

Man on fire

Demirović's clinical finishing has Stuttgart heading toward the break with a two-goal cushion, with Viking blown away by the hosts so far.

Hat-trick heaven for Demirović!

The Bosnia-Herzegovina international has his and Stuttgart's third of the evening. He collects an awkward pass from Undav just inside the box before volleying goalward, where the keeper inadvertently parries the ball behind him and into the net.

32'

Ermedin Demirović

GOAL!

3:1

Assist:D. Undav

Demirović at the double!

Undav finds the run of his strike partner with a delightful through ball and Demirović does the rest, slamming the ball in off the bar.

26'

Ermedin Demirović

GOAL!

2:1

Assist:D. Undav

Viking equalise!

Tripić takes it upon himself to get his side back into the game, carrying the ball toward the Stuttgart box before beating Jeltsch and slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

22'

Zlatko Tripić

GOAL!

1:1

Assist:H. Bjørdal

Stuttgart take the lead!

Stiller gets to the byline before slipping it into Demirović at the front post to flick it over the onrushing keeper and in off the post.

20'

Ermedin Demirović

GOAL!

1:0

Assist:A. Stiller

18'

Wasted opportunity

A long ball puts Christiansen in behind the Stuttgart defence, but a poor first touch requires him to cut back and look for Askildsen, whose shot from the edge of the box is comfortably saved by Bredlow.

Applying pressure

The hosts haven't managed to create a clear chance yet, but are certainly knocking at the door.

12'

Acrobatic attempt

Askildsen tries his luck with a scissor-kick from the edge of the box, but sees his deflected effort go harmlessly out of play.

Offside

A brilliant flick from Leweling sends Demirović on his way toward goal, but the flag is raised for offside.

Getting comfortable

Stuttgart are maintaining possession well as they look to take control early on.

Here we go!

Stuttgart's Champions League campaign is underway.

Kick-off!

Raring to go

Kick-off is almost here!

Gearing up

The sides continue their preparations with kick-off drawing closer.

The visitors are here

The Viking team check out the turf ahead of tonight's clash.

More on that Stuttgart team

Sebastian Hoeneß makes two changes to the side that put four past Cologne last weekend, with Jamie Leweling (pictured) coming in for Josha Vagnoman and Demirović replacing Pejčinović up front.

Starting line-up: VfB Stuttgart

Formation:4-2-3-1

Stuttgart subs

Funk, Al-Dakhil, Hendriks, Vagnoman, Karazor, Pejčinović, Malanga, Sauer, Spalt

Starting line-up: Viking FK

Formation:4-3-3

Viking subs

Belko, Haugen, Vevatne, Postema, Visted, Cosic, Botheim, Fuglestad, Auklend, Falchener, Kvia-Egeskog, Hansen

The MHP Arena awaits!

The stage is set for Stuttgart's Champions League opener.

Viking's danger men

Zlatko Tripić (pictured, l.) leads the Norwegian Eliteserien in assists with 16 and scored in both legs of their qualifying tie with Dinamo Zagreb. Viking's number nine, Peter Christiansen (pictured, r.), is joint-second in the domestic scoring charts with nine goals in 18 games and was also on the scoresheet in the first-leg against Zagreb, which ended 2-2 before Viking beat them 3-1 at home.

Jensen on Viking's approach

"We're not afraid to commit seven or eight players," he explained. "That's really what characterises Viking offensively, that we're fearless, brave and attack with a lot of force. We want to play Viking football and test it against the very, very best teams and see where we stand."

The men behind Viking's rise

The club have two head coaches, Morten Jensen (pictured, l.) and Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim (pictured, r.), who have taken the club from the Norwegian second-tier into Europe's elite club competition. "The natural progression would probably have been to first reach the league phase of the Conference League, then the Europa League, and finally the Champions League," said Jensen. "Whereas we've just gone straight into the Champions League."

1:04

Sebastian Hoeneß on facing Viking

"They’re a team who would definitely hold their own in the Bundesliga. They’re well organised, have a clear idea of how they want to play, and will probably try to pose us problems by sitting fairly deep. We want to take the game to them, keep the tempo high and dictate the pace."

Viking draw against Sandefjord

In their quest to retain Norwegian league title, Henrik Bjørdal's strike in the fourth minute of added time on Friday secured a valuable point against Sandefjord.

Hoeneß pleased with Cologne win ahead of Viking test

“We delivered exactly what we set out to do on the pitch. The lads played with intensity, pressure and speed, which was good. We scored very nice goals and it was a well-earned win.”

0:56

Watch: Stuttgart 4-1 Cologne

Stuttgart warmed up for their UEFA Champions League opener in style on Friday night with a powerful display of attacking - and some special individual goals.

Stuttgart's 25-man A-list squad

Stuttgart have named their 25-man A-list squad for the tournament: Fabian Bredlow, Marius Funk, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Lorenz Assignon, Jeff Chabot, Ramon Hendriks, Luca Jaquez, Finn Jeltsch, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Josha Vagnoman, Alexander Groiß, Dominik Nothnagel, Bilal El Khannouss, Chris Führich, Atakan Karazor, Jamie Leweling, Nikolas Nartey, Grischa Prömel, Angelo Stiller, Tiago Tomás, Ermedin Demirović, Dženan Pejčinović, Leo Sauer, Deniz Undav.

3:14

Watch: Every Undav goal in 25/26

Stuttgart's new captain will be eager to lead example from the off here after a stellar 2025/26.

Who are Viking?

Viking are Norway's joint-second most successful club after Rosenborg, winning the league title on nine occasions. They were crowned champions in 2025 for the first time in 34 years, and are currently three points adrift of leaders Bodø/Glimt in 2026. Their best European performance came in 2005/06, when they played their maiden group stage as they competed in the Europa League, drawing 0-0 with Hamburg on their way to a fourth-place finish out of five.

Head-to-head

Stuttgart are yet to play Viking, but have previously gone up against Norwegian opposition on four occasions. All of the fixtures came versus Molde in the Europa League, with the Swabians winning just once.

Viking in Europe: 2025/26

Viking competed in the Conference League in 2025/26, but were unable to reach the league phase. Their second qualifying round tie was comfortable enough as they hammered Koper of Slovenia 12-3 on aggregate, but they were beaten in the third round by Türkiye's İstanbul Başakşehir 4-2 across two legs.

Stuttgart in Europe: 2025/26

Sebastian Hoeneß's men produced a solid league phase in last season's Europa League as they finished 11th, winning five of their eight games and losing the other three. They had too much for Celtic in the play-off round, but were ultimately eliminated 4-1 on aggregate by Porto in the round of 16.

Welcome

Follow all of the build-up and live action as VfB Stuttgart kick off the league phase of the UEFA Champions League with the visit of Norwegian outfit Viking on Wednesday (kick-off 6.45pm CEST).