Nikolas Nartey back fit to boost Stuttgart midfield

​VfB Stuttgart have been handed a timely boost with Danish-Ghanaian midfielder Nikolas Nartey declared fit again ahead of their Europa League play-off first leg away to Celtic on Thursday night.

Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß confirmed in Wednesday’s press conference that the 25-year-old midfielder is available and will travel with the squad to Scotland.

Nartey had been sidelined for just over two weeks with a knock, missing Stuttgart’s last three competitive fixtures. His return adds depth and flexibility in central midfield, an area where Stuttgart have recently been a little light. Hoeneß explained that, from the injury list, only Justin Diehl are still unavailable, meaning Stuttgart are otherwise “all present and accounted for” and close to full strength.

However, Nartey is not expected to go straight back into the starting XI. “He won't start tomorrow, but he's involved and we're happy about that,” Hoeneß said, noting that the Dane is “in good condition,” with training performances backing that up.

The coach emphasized how important Nartey has been in previous weeks and months, and hinted that it is “It's quite possible he'll come in tomorrow,” suggesting he could feature off the bench to help manage the game and rebuild his match rhythm.

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