Stuttgart open Champions League campaign against Viking

Form heading into the opener

Stuttgart arrive with three wins from their last five recent matches, though they suffered a 5-1 defeat. Either side of that loss they put four past two different opponents. Viking's preparation has been less emphatic: two wins and two draws from their last five, the most recent a 1-1 draw. They have not lost in their last three matches, a run that includes a 3-1 win sandwiched between two draws.

What the market expects

The market-implied probability has Stuttgart as heavy favourites at 77.3 per cent, with the draw at 13.6 per cent and a Viking win at 9.1 per cent. That confidence sits squarely with home advantage and Stuttgart's sharper recent record, three wins from five to Viking's two from five. The gap between the two probabilities is wide enough that even a surprise result would only narrow it rather than overturn it, but Viking's unbeaten run over three matches suggests they are not arriving in disarray. Stuttgart's task is to convert that market expectation into three points before the competition's early pace-setters stretch further ahead.

We are covering this one live. Follow it with us in the match centre for the line-ups when they land, the goals as they go in, and the full timeline.