Stuttgart cruise to emphatic victory in first pre-season friendly

Die Schwaben opened their preparations for the 2026/27 campaign with a dominant 7-0 win away to TSG Balingen on Sunday.

Photo by Reinaldo Coddou H./Getty Images

Sebastian Hoeneß’s side made an impressive start to pre-season, brushing aside fifth-tier TSG Balingen 7-0 while giving valuable minutes to a number of first-team players.

Stuttgart named a strong starting XI for the opening 45 minutes. Dennis Seimen started in goal after returning from his loan spell at Paderborn, while summer signing Grischa Prömel also made his debut. Chris Führich, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Chema Andrés were among the starters, with Dan-Axel Zagadou captaining the side.

As expected, Stuttgart dominated proceedings from the outset and raced into a commanding 4-0 half-time lead. Jovan Milošević opened the scoring after just five minutes before doubling his tally around 20 minutes later. Chris Führich and Tiago Tomás added further goals before the interval to put the Bundesliga side firmly in control.

Hoeneß made wholesale changes at the break, sending out an entirely new XI for the second half. Jarzinho Malanga, fresh from his loan spell at Elversberg, was among those introduced, alongside Ameen Al-Dakhil and Joshua Vagnoman, who continues to be linked with a summer move away from the club.

The fresh lineup maintained Stuttgart’s dominance after the restart. Nineteen-year-old Lazar Jovanović made it 5-0 just 15 minutes into the second half before adding his second of the afternoon around 20 minutes later. Malanga then rounded off the scoring to seal a comprehensive 7-0 victory.

Stuttgart have five more pre-season friendlies scheduled before the start of the competitive campaign, with fixtures against Premier League duo Fulham and Everton among the highlights. Die Schwaben begin their DFB-Pokal campaign on 21 August with a trip to Hansa Rostock.