Everton Faces Stuttgart in Key Pre-Season Test

Everton step up their summer work in Germany on Saturday, with a stern examination against Champions League-bound Vfb Stuttgart at the MHPArena.

The backdrop is encouraging. David Moyes’s side arrive in Stuttgart on the back of a late, gritty 2-1 win over Hamburg, a result that said as much about mentality as it did about fitness. Merlin Röhl, back on familiar soil, struck first before a stoppage-time own goal from Jordan Torunarigha dragged Everton over the line.

It was only a pre-season friendly. It still mattered. Wins help, even in August.

From Hamburg to a higher bar

Hamburg was Everton’s fourth outing of a demanding summer, a game that allowed Moyes to shuffle combinations and test legs. Stuttgart, though, represents a jump in class.

Sebastian Hoeneß has turned Stuttgart into one of the Bundesliga’s sharpest sides. Fourth place last season delivered a ticket to the Champions League. A second consecutive DFB-Pokal final underlined their consistency. This is no gentle run-out; it is the kind of contest that exposes loose touches and tired minds.

For Moyes, that is precisely the point. With the Premier League looming, the margin for error shrinks. The speed of thought has to rise. So does the intensity.

New faces, late arrivals

One of the headline names of Everton’s summer, Christian Norgaard, will not be on show in Stuttgart. The Danish midfielder, signed from Arsenal for £7m earlier this week, is set to join up with his new teammates once they return to Merseyside.

His work begins at Finch Farm, away from the cameras, where fitness and familiarity will be the first tasks. The plan is clear enough: build him up, then potentially unleash him in Edinburgh on Wednesday, when Everton face Newcastle United at Murrayfield Stadium.

In Germany, the focus shifts to those already in the building and back from international duty. Iliman Ndiaye and Nathan Patterson have rejoined the group after extended breaks following the 2026 World Cup. Both now stand on the edge of their first pre-season minutes, and Stuttgart offers an ideal platform to feel the ball again under match pressure.

Jordan Pickford, who went deep into the tournament with England and reached the semi-finals, will not feature. He is scheduled to link up with the squad after they fly home. James Garner remains sidelined by a groin problem and continues his recovery.

Shape and selection

Moyes is expected to lean on a familiar 4-2-3-1 structure, with the emphasis on sharp pressing and quick transitions rather than elaborate patterns for their own sake.

A likely XI reads: Travers; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Röhl, Ireogbunam, Dewsbury-Hall; Dibling, Barry, Ndiaye.

It is a blend that offers clues. James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite anchoring the back line for rhythm and understanding. Vitalii Mykolenko holding the left flank. In midfield, Röhl and Tim Ireogbunam alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall give Everton legs, bite, and a bit of craft between the lines.

Ahead of them, Lewis Dibling and Adama Barry working either side of Ndiaye hints at the speed and directness Moyes wants in the final third. The combinations may change as the afternoon wears on, but the principles will not: compact without the ball, aggressive when they win it.

The test in front of them

Kick-off comes at 4:00 pm BST on Saturday, inside a stadium that has grown used to big occasions. Stuttgart, with Champions League football to come, are not easing into their season; they are sharpening for it. Their tempo, their pressing, their movement off the ball will ask Everton questions that Hamburg could not.

For Everton, this is where pre-season stops feeling like a gentle build and starts to resemble the real thing. Mistakes will be punished. Sloppy passing will draw groans from the bench. Good sequences, especially from those on the fringes, will stick in Moyes’s mind.

The match will be streamed live via evertontv on a one-off pass, with supporters also tracking every tackle and touch on the ToffeeWeb Live Forum. For those watching, it is another chance to judge how quickly this squad is knitting together.

For the players, it is something sharper. One more 90 minutes to convince the manager they belong in his first Premier League XI of the season.