Celtic return to European action this week with their Europa League play-off clash against Stuttgart.
The Hoops qualified for the next stage after beating Utrecht in their final league phase fixture, which resulted in them being pitted up against the Bundesliga side.
Stuttgart are chasing a Champions League spot in their own domestic league and will prove to be a tough contest.
Martin O’Neill has happy memories of his last encounter with Stuttgart and to get you all in the spirit of things, 67 Hail Hail has found five of the most unique facts about Celtic’s midweek opponents.
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Stuttgart had a one-armed legend
Robert Schlienz is one of Stuttgart’s most iconic figures, and for good reason too.
The striker came to prominence following the end of World War Two but sadly lost his arm during a car crash in 1948.
Despite losing his arm in the crash, he would return to the pitch and captained them to two league titles, scoring plenty of goals in the process.
It is one of football’s greatest stories and the club’s youth stadium is named in his honour.
Stuttgart’s kit protected by official statutes
All of Stuttgart’s kits feature a horizontal red stripe on their traditionally white kits. This is known as the Brustring (breast ring) and has been on every kit since 1925.
Supporters consider it as a sign of unity and claim that players ‘wear the ring’ when they represent the team.
Since they claim that the design is unique to Stuttgart, the design is also protected by official statutes.
Celtic fans would you rather: Win the Europa League but miss out on the league title?
Or… get knocked out of the Europa League and win the title?
Stuttgart were originally a rugby club
Before the football team emerged, Stuttgart’s roots were initially in rugby union.
Stuttgarter FV were founded in 1893 and competed in the German championship but a merger in 1912 meant that their focus switched to football.
They haven’t forgotten where it all began, though, keeping 1893 in the club’s full name title as a nod to the past.
Stuttgart hold a Bundesliga record that has lasted over 20 years
Even the likes of Oliver Khan and Manuel Neuer can’t say that they have recorded this achievement but Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand can.
In the 2003/04 season, Hildebrand went 884 minutes without conceding a goal. That roughly equates to 10 consecutive Bundesliga matches and more than 20 years on, is still yet to be beaten.
Stuttgart’s stadium was briefly used for baseball
Following the end of World War Two, Stuttgart’s stadium was briefly transformed into a venue that hosted baseball instead of football.
US troops renamed the ground as the Century Stadium between 1945-1949 before returning to the football club and normal service was resumed.
Once handed back to the city, the ground returned to its original name of the Neckarstadion.
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