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Everton Lose 3-1 to Stuttgart in Final Pre-Season Friendly

The defeat exposed weak full-back defending and set-piece marking that leave Everton with finishing problems to fix before the Premier League.

Overview

  • The match, played on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at the MHPArena, finished 3-1 to VfB Stuttgart and closed Everton’s two-game tour of Germany.
  • Everton conceded three goals that reporters called avoidable with the first coming after Vitalii Mykolenko left space, the second from a poorly defended corner under zonal marking, and the third from a giveaway and lack of pressure.
  • The side created multiple clear chances but failed to convert them, with Beto notably missing a sitter and chances from Merlin Röhl, Tyler Dibling and Carlos Alcaraz going begging before Thierno Barry scored from a penalty.
  • Squad integration remains incomplete as new signing Christian Norgaard did not travel to Germany and will link up after the tour while James Garner remains sidelined with a groin issue and Iliman Ndiaye and Nathan Patterson returned for late minutes.
  • Attention now turns back to domestic preparations and the Premier League opener as the result highlights a need to shore up full-back cover and set-piece defending before competitive matches begin.