Stuttgart will finish Bundesliga in top five - Hitzlsperger

Surprise team VfB Stuttgart can end the Bundesliga season in the top five and play in Europe next term, according to their former player and official Thomas Hitzelsperger.

Stuttgart have played their best first part of the season with 34 points from 16 games and rank third behind Bayer Leverkusen and champions Bayern Munich. They are seven points ahead of fifth and 10 ahead of sixth place after 16 of 34 games.

Hitzlsperger told the t-online portal that ir remains to be seen how the team gets through the January period with players having to be released for the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.

But he said "the team is on such a run and has such quality that it will be enough for a top five finish. The team is brimming with confidence and I hope that they are spared any injuries."

Hitzlsperger played for Stuttgart when they won their last Bundesliga title in 2007. He was a club official in various functions 2016-2022.

Stuttgart's points tally is already above the 33 they garnered in each of the last two seasons when they narrowly avoided relegation.

"It is amazing what VfB has achieved so far this season. The amount of victories and the way they were achieved is very impressive. It is simply fun to watch," Hitzlsperger said.