VFB STUTTGART NEWS

Haaland hat trick as Dortmund begins German Cup defense

Erling Haaland has scored a hat trick to help Borussia Dortmund begin its German Cup title defense with a 3-0 win over third-division Wehen Wiesbaden

AUGUST 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clinton Mola - Still dealing with pelvic injury Mola (pelvis) won't be an option against BFC Dynamo on Saturday due to his lingering pelvic injury.

Impact Mola hasn't gotten onto the pitch for Stuttgart since February of 2020 and appears to still be recovering from his injury. At this point, the midfielder will likely make a substitute appearance or two before getting an opportunity to rejoin the starting XI.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Nikolas Nartey - Ruled out due to COVID-19 Nartey will miss Saturday's DFB-Pokal clash with BFC Dynamo on Saturday due to COVID-19.

Impact Nartey -- who spent last season on loan with SV Sandhausen -- was a long shot to crack the starting XI anyway, so his absence is unlikely to affect fantasy players. Still, given the number of potential absences in the lead up to the Bundesliga opener against Greuther Furth on Aug. 14, every absence could be felt by the club.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Mateo Klimowicz - Back in action Klimowicz was in action in pre-season friendlies, and is back healthy.

Impact Klimowicz played in a 3-0 pre-season defeat to Barcelona, and appeared fully healthy in the match. The midfielder should be fit and ready to go for the season-opener, though he's unlikely to be a mainstay in the starting XI.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Tanguy Coulibaly - Out with COVID-19 Coulibaly isn't available for Saturday's cup match due to COVID-19, his club announced Thursday.

Impact Coulibaly may yet return when the league season begins a week after this cup game, but for now he's unable to play. With two goals and one assist in 31 appearances last season, there's more work for Coulibaly to do if he can stay fit and increase his minutes.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sasa Kalajdzic - Out due to COVID-19 Kalajdzic will miss Saturday's DFB Pokal match due to COVID-19, his club announced Thursday.

Impact Kalajdzic has a decent chance of returning when the league season begins Aug 14 against Greuther Furth, though he can't play in the first competitive match. He scored 16 goals and added five assists last season and without Nico Gonzalez to support him, could go even further as the most important attacker for his team.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Naouirou Ahamada - To miss cup match Ahamada will miss Saturday's DFB Pokal match against BFC Dynamo due to a calf injury.

Impact Ahamda still has time to recover before the league season begins, though the won't be able to play in their first competitive match. He made three starts from six appearances last season and will hope to feature more frequently in the coming campaign.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Wataru Endo - Active in loss Endo put one shot off target and made three tackles during Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Spain.

Impact Endo has been an average player for much of the Olympic tournament but a composed performance in a longer contest made him a notable contributor. He'll get one more chance to play this summer against Mexico in the third place game.

AUGUST 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Barcelona optimistic with Depay as wait for Messi continues

Barcelona is seeing some positive signs from new signing Memphis Depay as it continues to wait for Lionel Messi

AUGUST 2, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Florian Muller - Two saves in elimination Muller made two saves during Wednesday's one-all draw with Ivory Coast.

Impact Muller stopped every opposition shot, but failed to stop Benjamin Henrichs' own goal. The keeper played solidly in the Olympics but wasn't able to get Germany to the knockout stage.

JULY 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Alkhaly Momo Cisse - Set to miss start of season Cisse suffered a metatarsal fracture in a recent friendly and will be out four-to-six weeks.

Impact Cisse is just 18 years old, so he's still growing as a player, though this broken foot won't help. He appeared in five matches last season and will hope to double that number in another season of Bundesliga.

JULY 27, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Chris Fuhrich - Suffers broken clavicle Fuhrich is set to undergo surgery after breaking his clavicle, forcing him to miss the first couple months of the season.

Impact Fuhrich is fresh off a new contract and this injury will keep him from making an immediate mark in the squad. Even once healthy, he's unlikely to have a starting role until he can get a few matches under his belt to build up some fitness.

JULY 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Florian Muller - Concedes four goals in loss Muller allowed four goals in Thursday's 4-2 defeat to Brazil but managed to registered 10 saves, including from the penalty spot.

Impact Muller faced significant pressure from the Brazilian attack, something he shouldn't be expecting from Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The fact that the keeper had to play nearly 30 minutes with just 10 men in front of him certainly didn't improve his chances of securing the victory.

JULY 22, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Chris Fuhrich - Joins on permanent deal Fuhrich transferred to VfB Stuttgart from SC Paderborn and signed a four-year contract with his new club.

Impact Fuhrich came up through the Borussia Dortmund system before joining Paderborn last year in which he racked up an impressive 13 goals and seven assists in 34 appearances. The attacking-midfielder will look to break into the Stuttgart first team with consistency and could be a decent fantasy option this year.

JULY 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Orel Mangala - Joins team for preseason camp Mangala joined his teammates for their preseason camp, his club announced Monday.

Impact Mangala picked up a thigh injury during the offseason but is now ready to train in preparation for the coming campaign. He scored one goal and added three assists in 24 starts before a torn thigh ended his 2020/21 season.

JULY 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Orel Mangala - Out with muscular injury Mangala suffered a muscular injury and will be out multiple weeks, sporting director Sven Mislintat announced Thursday.

Impact Mangala made 24 starts last season but none after mid-March due to various injury issues. He'll hope to recover his strength when the Bundesliga season begins.

JULY 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

American coach Jesse Marsch proud to take over at Leipzig

Americans are taking their coaching expertise to the Bundesliga

JULY 9, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Leonhard Munst - Signs first professional contract Munst inked a four-year contract with VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday.

Impact Munst saw action in 10 matches with the Stuttgart second team last year in which he generated one goal and six assists. The central midfielder will look to break into the senior squad this year but may have to spend some more time developing in the youth system.

JULY 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Naouirou Ahamada - Bought out by Stuttgart Ahamada will continue playing for Stuttgart as they picked up the option to sign him permanent from Juventus following the loan spell.

Impact Ahamada appeared just six times (three starts) in the past campaign, registering five shots and four tackles. The German club decided to keep him around for the future.

JULY 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Lilian Egloff - Out following foot procedure Egloff underwent surgery for a foot injury Thursday and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Impact It's a significant blow Egloff who hasn't gotten onto the pitch since a substitute appearance Dec. 12 versus Borussia Dortmund. Given his lengthy layoff, the midfielder will likely have to settle for some outings off the bench before he gets a chance to break into the starting XI, though he is far from a lock for regular minutes even once cleared to play.

JULY 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sasa Kalajdzic - Scores against Italy Kalajdzic won five duels, had one block and scored on his only shot in 23 minutes in Saturday's 1-2 loss to Italy.

Impact Kalajdzic cut the lead in half late in the second overtime with a crafty header on a corner kick. He has had a part-time role in the Euro, tallying six shots, one chance and three tackles in four appearances, hitting the net once.

JUNE 27, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Arsenal send Mavropanos back on loan to Stuttgart for 2021-22 campaign ' Goal.com Arsenal have sent Konstantinos Mavropanos back out on loan to Stuttgart for the duration of the 2021-22 campaign.

JUNE 24, 2021 • GOAL.COM

Konstantinos Mavropanos - Staying at Stuttgart Mavropanos will stay on loan at Stuttgart for another season away from Premier League side Arsenal. The deal includes an option to buy for VfB Stuttgart at the end of the season.

Impact Without a role at Arsenal, Mavropanos will continue to gain experience in Bundesliga. He made 19 starts this past season and if not for injury, probably could've made more. That said, playing as a center-back in a back three, his fantasy value is minimal on Stuttgart outside of tackles and interceptions.

JUNE 24, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sasa Kalajdzic - Fires three shots Kalajdzic took three off target shots and created a chance during Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Netherlands.

Impact Kalajdzic entered the match in the 62nd minute, but couldn't swing the momentum in Austria's favor. The forward's three shots led Austria in the match despite his limited time on the pitch.

JUNE 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Hamadi Al Ghaddioui - Inks one-year extension Al Ghaddioui secured a one-year contract extension with VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.

Impact AL Ghaddioui was set to be out of contract at the end of June but instead will stick with Stuttgart for at least one more season. The forward was limited to just six appearances (zero starts) this year due to various injuries and managed a combined 40 minutes of action as a result. Even if he can avoid injury, Al Ghaddioui will likely serve primarily as a bench option in 2021-22, making him a low-end fantasy option at best.

JUNE 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE