Everton vs Stuttgart: A Pre-Season Spectacle with Fire and Music

By the time Everton’s players wandered out at the MHPArena, the real show had already started – and it had nothing to do with them.

Forty-five minutes before kick-off, Stuttgart turned a routine pre-season friendly into a full-blown prizefight entrance. Every member of the home squad was introduced one by one, walking into their own soundtrack, their names booming around the ground, fireworks cracking into the sweltering afternoon air.

It began, naturally, with an alligator.

Fritzle, Stuttgart’s mascot, strutted out like a headliner, complete with a photo opportunity alongside a robot. It was surreal, loud, and utterly unapologetic. On the banks of the Neckar River, this was football wrapped in theatre.

Everton, by contrast, slipped onto the pitch to almost no fanfare at all. As the Stuttgart MC carried on with pitchside interviews and orchestrated the party, the visitors simply jogged out to start their warm-up. No flames. No music. No introductions. Just a reminder that this is still pre-season, and that Sean Dyche’s side are here to work.

Heat, Noise and a New-Look Back Line

From the press box, Joe Thomas watched the stands slowly fill in the southern German heat. The MHPArena – a striking blend of old concrete and modern lines – shimmered in the sun as the travelling Blues filtered into their corner.

On the pitch, the real intrigue was in Everton’s team sheet.

The headline call came at centre-back: Jarrad Branthwaite and Jake O’Brien together in the heart of defence. It’s a pairing many have wanted to see, and now, on back-to-back weekends, Branthwaite is in from the start again. With Hayden Hackney also named in the XI, there are encouraging signs over fitness and rhythm for some of Everton’s key younger players.

O’Brien, crucially, is back in his natural role at centre-half. That shift creates a familiar problem on the right. Someone has to plug the gap at full-back, and today that responsibility falls to Merlin Röhl, the latest square peg in a round hole on that flank.

The lack of a specialist right-back has become a running theme of Everton’s summer. Since the win in Hamburg, Christian Nørgaard has arrived, but the search for a right-sided defender goes on – loudly enough that even Prime Minister Andy Burnham has weighed in on the debate. The team sheet here only underlines the issue.

Midfield Questions and a Chance for Dibling

Tactically, the puzzle extends into midfield. With Tim Iroegbunam, Armstrong and Hackney operating together, the shape tilts towards a 4-3-3 rather than the more familiar 4-2-3-1. The roles and rotations will matter against a sharp, Bundesliga opponent who are already playing with the swagger of their pre-match show.

There is also a quiet but important subplot: Sam Dibling’s place in the starting XI. This week feels like a window for him to spark into form, and being trusted from the off in a game of this intensity is a clear opportunity. Pre-season can drift for some players; for others, it can define their momentum heading into the campaign. Dibling falls firmly into the latter category right now.

Up front, the job share continues. Beto and Thierno Barry are still effectively taking turns to lead the line, a rotation that keeps both involved but leaves open the question of who will own that role once the serious business starts.

Stuttgart’s Heroes and Everton’s Reality

On the home side, there is no Bilal El-Khannouss in the squad, the Moroccan absent after his World Cup exploits. His reception, though, has already been delivered; he was one of those granted a hero’s welcome by the Stuttgart support. The atmosphere around the club feels buoyant, celebratory, and today’s choreographed build-up only feeds that mood.

Everton’s reality is more grounded. While this friendly unfolds in Germany, Goodison Park is hosting Preston North End against Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup, as senior men’s football returns to the old stadium for the first time since the 2-0 win over Southampton on May 18 last year. Deepdale’s new pitch still needs time, so the “Grand Old Lady” steps back into the spotlight at home while Dyche’s squad test themselves abroad.

Back in Stuttgart, the dressing room has already been prepped, shirts hung, boots lined, the usual pre-match calm contrasting with the chaos of the show outside. The question now is simple: how will this Everton side, still under construction, cope with a strong Stuttgart team in their own buzzing arena?

The stage has been set with fire, music and mascots. The noise belongs to Stuttgart. The answers, though, will have to come from Everton.