Everton Faces Stuttgart in Key Pre-Season Clash

Everton step up their German tour this weekend with a far stiffer examination: a trip to Champions League-bound Vfb Stuttgart at the MHPArena.

David Moyes’s side arrive in Stuttgart with a late win already in the bag. They edged Hamburg 2-1 in midweek, needing stoppage time – and a slice of fortune – to get it done. Jordan Torunarigha turned into his own net at the death, after Merlin Röhl had marked his return to Germany by opening the scoring for the visitors.

It was Everton’s fourth outing of a crowded summer. This one feels different. Stuttgart are not another tune‑up opponent; they are a benchmark.

From warm-up to acid test

Sebastian Hoeneß has turned Stuttgart into one of the Bundesliga’s sharpest outfits. Fourth place last season, a ticket to the Champions League, and a second straight DFB-Pokal final underline the scale of the task facing Everton.

For Moyes, that’s exactly the point. With the Premier League looming, this is the kind of game that reveals who is ready and who is still running off the rust.

Röhl, bright and busy in Hamburg, is set for another chance to impress in the engine room. The expectation is that Everton stick with a 4-2-3-1, keeping the structure that has anchored their early summer work while testing combinations further up the pitch.

New faces, late arrivals

One new signing will have to wait. Christian Norgaard, brought in from Arsenal this week for £7m, has not joined the tour and will instead build his fitness at Finch Farm. His debut is more likely to come back on British soil, with Newcastle United waiting at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh next Wednesday.

Two World Cup returnees could, however, make their first appearances of pre-season. Iliman Ndiaye and Nathan Patterson are back in the group after extended breaks following their 2026 World Cup campaigns and will be eager to get minutes into their legs against top-level opposition.

Jordan Pickford, who went deep into the tournament with England and reached the semi-finals, will not feature in Germany and is due to rejoin the squad once they return home. James Garner remains sidelined by a groin problem and continues his recovery.

Predicted XI and shape

Moyes is expected to keep faith with the framework that has carried Everton through the early friendlies, while rotating intelligently against a side that will punish any slackness.

Predicted Everton lineup (4-2-3-1):

Travers; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Röhl, Ireogbunam, Dewsbury-Hall; Dibling, Barry, Ndiaye.

It’s a side that blends established defensive leaders with younger, energetic options in midfield and attack. Against Stuttgart’s pace and precision, the back four will need to be sharp, the double pivot disciplined, and the three behind the striker ruthless on the break.

The details – and the stakes

Kick-off is set for 4:00 pm BST on Saturday 8th August at the MHPArena in Stuttgart. Supporters can watch the game live via evertontv, with one-off match passes available, or follow along through live text updates on the ToffeeWeb Live Forum.

The result will not define Everton’s season. The performance might. With the Premier League closing in and Newcastle on the horizon, this is the afternoon when pre-season stops feeling gentle and starts to look like the real thing.