Batrakov double ends Stuttgart's unbeaten Champions League start

Stuttgart arrived in Istanbul unbeaten in the Champions League. Fifteen minutes later, that record was gone. Aleksei Batrakov scored in the 12th and 15th minutes at Rams Park on 3 November 2026, and Galatasaray's 2-0 win ended Sebastian Hoeness' side's unbeaten start to the league phase.

It was a defeat that leaves Stuttgart on seven points from four games, still in the top eight but likely to drop out of the automatic last-16 places once the rest of matchday four is completed. Galatasaray moved to six points. Stuttgart's next league-phase fixture is away to Inter at the end of November, and the margin for error is narrowing.

The raw figures from FotMob tell a story that sits awkwardly beside the scoreline. Stuttgart had 48 per cent possession, 13 shots to Galatasaray's 13, five shots on target to four, and four big chances to two. Their expected goals figure was 1.77 against Galatasaray's 1.01. By chance volume and quality, Stuttgart were the more dangerous side.

That is not how the match will be remembered. Jamie Leweling struck the inside of both posts early, and Chris Führich had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half. Batrakov's two finishes, the second assisted by Davinson Sánchez, decided it. Whether Leweling's double woodwork moment was the turning point or whether Galatasaray's press and Batrakov's finishing settled the match independently is a question the next fixtures will answer.

What the numbers do show is a side whose finishing ran cold relative to its chance creation. Stuttgart's goals minus expected goals in this match was -1.77, against an average of 0.0 across their earlier 2026/2027 matches in all competitions. One match is not a trend, but it is a measure of how far the result drifted from the performance.

The wider season data raises a more uncomfortable question. Stuttgart's Bundesliga record under Hoeness in 2026/2027 so far is three wins, no draws and five defeats from eight games, 1.13 points per game. That is a weaker return than the 2.21 points per game Tayfun Korkut's side managed over 14 Bundesliga games in 2017/2018, when Stuttgart took nine wins, four draws and one defeat from that stretch.

The comparison is not like for like in squad terms. Stuttgart have signed Grischa Prömel, Dženan Pejčinović, Jeremy Arévalo, Bilal El Khannouss and Leo Sauer since the summer, while Chema Andrés, Jovan Milošević and Lazar Jovanović have departed. That turnover helps explain why the balance of that earlier window has not returned, but it does not remove the pressure on results.

In Istanbul, the passing numbers were down sharply. Stuttgart made 265 accurate passes against an average of 468.4 across their earlier 2026/2027 matches in all competitions. Their opposition-half passes were 145.0 against an average of 280.6. Possession was 48 per cent against an average of 58. They also generated no expected goals from set plays, against an average of 0.61. Galatasaray's press, and Okan Buruk's decision to keep the same starting XI that had beaten Fenerbahçe in the derby a week earlier, contributed to that reduction in control.

Stuttgart remain in the top eight after four of eight league-phase games, but they can expect to slip out of the automatic qualification places once the rest of this week's games are completed. They are not eliminated, and their last-16 place is not lost. The trip to Inter at the end of November now carries more weight.

The open questions are straightforward. Will Stuttgart remain in the top eight after the rest of matchday four is played? How will they respond away to Inter? And does the disallowed Führich goal change how the performance should be assessed? On the night, Batrakov's two goals in three minutes answered the only question that mattered.