Everton vs Stuttgart: A Crucial Pre-Season Test
Everton step up the tempo of their German tour this weekend, trading Hamburg’s bustle for the sharper edge of Champions League-bound Vfb Stuttgart at the MHPArena.
Moyes chases sharper Everton in Stuttgart test
David Moyes has spoken all summer about rhythm and resilience. Hamburg offered a glimpse. Stuttgart will offer a verdict.
Everton arrive in Baden-Württemberg on the back of a 2-1 win over Hamburg, a result earned the hard way. Merlin Röhl, back on familiar territory in Germany, struck first to underline why the club moved quickly for his versatility and energy. The game seemed to drift towards a draw, only for stoppage time to deliver the twist: Jordan Torunarigha turned the ball into his own net and Everton walked away with their fourth outing of pre-season wrapped in a late burst of drama.
That win kept the momentum of a busy schedule, but Stuttgart represent something different. Sharper. Quicker. Closer to what awaits in the Premier League.
Sebastian Hoeneß has built a side that doesn’t just compete in the Bundesliga; it dictates. Stuttgart finished fourth last season, muscling their way into the Champions League places and reaching a second straight DFB-Pokal final. This is not a gentle tune-up. It is exactly the sort of examination Moyes will want before the real thing starts.
New faces and missing pieces
One new signing will watch from afar. Christian Norgaard, signed from Arsenal for £7m earlier in the week, will not feature in Germany. The Danish midfielder is due to link up with his new teammates once the squad return to Finch Farm, where the focus will be on fitness rather than fanfare. His first outing in blue could come against Newcastle United at Murrayfield next Wednesday, a stage that feels more fitting for a debut than a rushed cameo on tour.
In Stuttgart, Moyes instead leans on the players already in the building and those just back through the door.
Iliman Ndiaye and Nathan Patterson have rejoined the group after extended breaks following their 2026 World Cup campaigns. Both now stand on the edge of their first pre-season minutes, and this is exactly the type of game that can reset their club seasons before they properly begin. Ndiaye’s ability to drift between the lines and Patterson’s aggression from full-back give Everton a different dimension when fully tuned in.
Jordan Pickford, who went deep into the tournament with England and reached the semi-finals, will not be involved. He is due to return to the group after the squad fly back from Germany, leaving the gloves to his understudy for now. James Garner remains sidelined with a groin issue, a frustration for a player who had hoped to use this period to cement his place in Moyes’s midfield plans.
Shape, selection and the search for fluency
Moyes is expected to stay with a familiar framework: a 4-2-3-1 that gives Everton structure without blunting their attacking edge.
The predicted XI reads like a manager trying to balance minutes with momentum:
Travers; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Röhl, Ireogbunam, Dewsbury-Hall; Dibling, Barry, Ndiaye.
It is a side that mixes established defensive pillars with fresher attacking legs. James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite provide the spine at centre-back, with Vitalii Mykolenko and O’Brien offering width from the full-back positions. In front of them, Röhl’s intelligence and running should dovetail with Tim Ireogbunam’s athleticism and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s passing range, a trio designed to control the ball as much as chase it.
Ahead of them, the fluid trio of Dibling, Barry and Ndiaye promises movement and rotation rather than rigid positions. Pre-season is where understanding is built, and this front line will be judged less on the scoreline and more on how often they find each other in dangerous areas.
The opposition, though, will not treat this as a gentle exercise. Stuttgart’s high-energy, front-foot football will stress Everton’s build-up and test their defensive concentration. Lose the ball cheaply here and it tends to come back quickly, and with interest.
Match details and what’s at stake
Kick-off comes at 4:00 pm BST on Saturday 8th August at the MHPArena in Stuttgart, with Everton supporters able to follow the action via evertontv’s live stream, using a one-off match pass, or by tracking every moment on the ToffeeWeb Live Forum.
The result will matter less than the performance, but only up to a point. Pre-season always carries that caveat, yet managers know these games harden habits. Everton have already banked minutes, a late win and a handful of encouraging individual displays. Stuttgart now offer something more valuable: a measuring stick.
With Norgaard waiting in the wings and Pickford still to return, this is not yet the finished version of Moyes’s Everton. But against a Champions League side, under summer skies in Germany, we will see how close they are willing to get.
