2003–04 VfB Stuttgart season

VfB Stuttgart debuted in the modern-era 32-team Champions League with a progression from the group stage and a somewhat surprising victory with 2–1 against English champions Manchester United. Ultimately, the tournament ended with a narrow defeat to Chelsea. Kevin Kurányi, Philipp Lahm and Alexander Hleb were key players in a side that only just failed to finish in the top three for the second season in succession. Following an initial eight clean sheets, the attack suffered from only Kurányi being able to score, despite goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand keeping 18 clean sheets.

First-team squad

 * Squad at end of season

Bundesliga

 * Hansa Rostock-VfB Stuttgart 0–2
 * 0–1 Imre Szabics ⚽ 75'
 * 0–2 Imre Szabics ⚽ 76'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Hertha BSC 0–0
 * Mönchengladbach-VfB Stuttgart 0–1
 * 0–1 Cacau ⚽ 33'
 * VfB Stuttgart-1. FC Kaiserslautern 2–0
 * 1–0 Cacau ⚽ 8'
 * 2–0 Zvonimir Soldo ⚽ 14'
 * Schalke 04-VfB Stuttgart 0–0
 * VfB Stuttgart-Borussia Dortmund 1–0
 * 1–0 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 67'
 * 1860 Munich-Stuttgart 0–3
 * 0–1 Zvonimir Soldo ⚽ 12'
 * 0–2 Fernando Meira ⚽ 18' (pen.)
 * 0–3 Alexander Hleb ⚽ 50'
 * VfB Stuttgart-1. FC Köln 0–0
 * Werder Bremen-VfB Stuttgart 1–3
 * 0–1 Imre Szabics ⚽ 31'
 * 0–2 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 34'
 * 1–2 Angelos Charisteas ⚽ 59'
 * 1–3 Christian Tiffert ⚽ 90'
 * VfB Stuttgart-VfL Wolfsburg 1–0
 * 1–0 Ioannis Amanatidis ⚽ 73'
 * VfB Stuttgart-SC Freiburg 4–1
 * 1–0 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 34'
 * 1–1 Soumaila Coulibaly ⚽ 45' (pen.)
 * 2–1 Christian Tiffert ⚽ 62'
 * 3–1 Alexander Hleb ⚽ 64'
 * 4–1 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 66'
 * Eintracht Frankfurt-VfB Stuttgart 0–2
 * 0–1 Imre Szabics ⚽ 8'
 * 0–2 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 69'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Hannover 96 3–1
 * 1–0 Imre Szabics ⚽ 29'
 * 2–0 Silvio Meißner ⚽ 78'
 * 2–1 Thomas Brdarić ⚽ 82'
 * 3–1 Silvio Meißner ⚽ 90'
 * VfL Bochum-VfB Stuttgart 0–0
 * VfB Stuttgart-Hamburger SV 0–0
 * Bayern Munich-VfB Stuttgart 1–0
 * 1–0 Roy Makaay ⚽ 74'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Bayer Leverkusen 2–3
 * 0–1 Carsten Ramelow ⚽ 23'
 * 0–2 Dimitar Berbatov ⚽ 44'
 * 1–2 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 56'
 * 1–3 Dimitar Berbatov ⚽ 62'
 * 2–3 Zvonimir Soldo ⚽ 68'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Hansa Rostock 2–0
 * 1–0 Alexander Hleb ⚽ 59'
 * 2–0 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 75'
 * Hertha BSC-VfB Stuttgart 1–0
 * 1–0 Fredi Bobic ⚽ 87'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Borussia Mönchengladbach 1–1
 * 1–0 Imre Szabics ⚽ 5'
 * 1–1 Václav Svěrkoš ⚽ 85'
 * 1. FC Kaiserslautern-VfB Stuttgart 1–0
 * 1–0 José Dominguez ⚽ 4'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Schalke 04 0–0
 * Borussia Dortmund-VfB Stuttgart 0–2
 * 0–1 Alexander Hleb ⚽ 6'
 * 0–2 Horst Heldt ⚽ 81' (pen.)
 * VfB Stuttgart-1860 München 2–0
 * 1–0 Zvonimir Soldo ⚽ 31'
 * 2–0 Marco Streller ⚽ 34'
 * 1. FC Köln-VfB Stuttgart 2–2
 * 0–1 Silvio Meißner ⚽ 28'
 * 1–1 Florian Kringe ⚽ 45'
 * 2–1 Markus Feulner ⚽ 71'
 * 2–2 Matthias Scherz ⚽ 72' (o.g.)
 * VfB Stuttgart-Werder Bremen 4–4
 * 1–0 Marcelo Bordon ⚽ 3'
 * 1–1 Ivan Klasnić ⚽ 14'
 * 2–1 Marcelo Bordon ⚽ 25'
 * 2–2 Ivan Klasnić ⚽ 35'
 * 2–3 Aílton ⚽ 43'
 * 3–3 Marcelo Bordon ⚽ 50'
 * 4–3 Marco Streller ⚽ 69'
 * 4–4 Aílton ⚽ 70'
 * SC Freiburg-VfB Stuttgart 1–5
 * 0–1 Heiko Gerber ⚽ 6'
 * 0–2 Marco Streller ⚽ 26'
 * 1–2 Martin Petrov ⚽ 30'
 * 1–3 Philipp Lahm ⚽ 43'
 * 1–4 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 75'
 * 1–5 Imre Szabics ⚽ 86'
 * SC Freiburg-VfB Stuttgart 0–1
 * 0–1 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 10'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Eintracht Frankfurt 3–1
 * 1–0 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 45'
 * 2–0 Alexander Hleb ⚽ 48'
 * 3–0 Marcelo Bordon ⚽ 79'
 * 3–1 Alexander Schur ⚽ 84'
 * Hannover 96-VfB Stuttgart 0–1
 * 0–1 Silvio Meißner ⚽ 10'
 * VfB Stuttgart-VfL Bochum 1–1
 * 1–0 Cacau ⚽ 33'
 * 1–1 Marcelo Bordon ⚽ 59' (o.g.)
 * Hamburger SV-VfB Stuttgart 2–1
 * 1–0 Stefan Beinlich ⚽ 38'
 * 2–0 Nico-Jan Hoogma ⚽ 47'
 * 2–1 Cacau ⚽ 86'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Bayern Munich 3–1
 * 1–0 Imre Szabics ⚽ 19'
 * 2–0 Imre Szabics ⚽ 53'
 * 3–0 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 55'
 * 3–1 Claudio Pizarro ⚽ 78'
 * Bayer Leverkusen-VfB Stuttgart 2–0
 * 1–0 Dimitar Berbatov ⚽ 63'
 * 2–0 Bernd Schneider ⚽ 85'

Top scorers

 * 🇩🇪 Kevin Kurányi 11
 * 🇭🇺 Imre Szabics 9
 * 🇧🇾 Alexander Hleb 5
 * 🇧🇷 Cacau 4
 * Zvonimir Soldo 4

Group stage

 * Rangers-VfB Stuttgart 2–1
 * 0–1 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 45'
 * 1–1 Christian Nerlinger ⚽ 74'
 * 2–1 Peter Løvenkrands ⚽ 79'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Manchester United 2–1
 * 1–0 Imre Szabics ⚽ 50'
 * 2–0 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 51'
 * 2–1 Ruud van Nistelrooy ⚽ 67' (pen.)
 * VfB Stuttgart-Panathinaikos 2–0
 * 1–0 Imre Szabics ⚽ 12'
 * 2–0 Zvonimir Soldo ⚽ 25'
 * Panathinaikos-VfB Stuttgart 1–3
 * 1–0 Michalis Konstantinou ⚽ 60'
 * 1–1 Takis Fyssas ⚽ 68' (o.g.)
 * 1–2 Kevin Kurányi ⚽ 75'
 * 1–3 Andreas Hinkel ⚽ 76'
 * VfB Stuttgart-Rangers 1–0
 * 1–0 Timo Wenzel ⚽ 45'
 * Manchester United-VfB Stuttgart 2–0
 * 1–0 Ruud van Nistelrooy ⚽ 45'
 * 2–0 Ryan Giggs ⚽ 58'

Last 16

 * Stuttgart-Chelsea 0–1
 * 0–1 Fernando Meira ⚽ 12' (o.g.)
 * Chelsea-VfB Stuttgart 0–0

Reserve team
VfB Stuttgart II were coached by Reinhold Fanz and finished 11th in the Regionalliga Süd.