Stuttgart UCL squad: Kastanaras included while Diehl, Woltemade, and Hendriks left out
VfB Stuttgart have officially released their 25-man-roster for the upcoming group phase of the competition. VfB trainer Sebastian Hoeneß had some surprises in store, most notably the inclusion of young attacking prospect Thomas Kastanaras. Nineteen-year-old defensive midfielder Samuele di Benedetto has also made the list. Meanwhile, new summer signings Nick Woltemade, Justin Diehl, and Ramon Hendricks have been omitted.
Recently called upon central defender Anrie Chase did not make the squad either, but can still be nominated for matches via the special clause that allows "B squad" players to be called up provided they were born after January 1st, 2003 and have been worked exclusively with the club for over two consecutive years. The 20-year-old fits this criteria.
The VfB Champions League squad
Alexander Nübel, Fabian Bredlow, Dennis Seimen, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Anthony Rouault, Josha Vagnoman, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Jeff Chabot, Leonidas Stergiou, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Frans Krätzig, Pascal Stenzel, Yannik Keitel, Angelo Stiller, Enzo Millot, Samuele di Benedetto, Atakan Karazor, Jamie Leweling, Chris Führich, Fabian Rieder, Luca Raimund, Ermedin Demirovic, El Bilal Touré, Thomas Kastanaras, Deniz Undav