Two of the Bundesliga’s most in-form strikers, Ermedin Demirović and Niclas Füllkrug, will aim to fire their respective teams to victory when VfB Stuttgart face Werder Bremen on Bundesliga Matchday 9.

Bremen narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing 15th on just 32 points. While their struggles came from several sources, their lack of goals was a major issue – rock-bottom St. Pauli (29) were the only side to net fewer than their 37.

As such, the number one objective during the summer transfer window was acquiring the services of a natural goalscorer, and Füllkrug on loan from West Ham United was an obvious choice. After all, the former Germany international had scored 49 goals in 124 games across two previous spells with the northern club, and shared the Torjägerkanone, awarded to the Bundesliga's top goalscorer, at the end of his most recent stint in 2022/23.

Watch: Füllkrug analysis

Nevertheless, few would have anticipated his electric start to the new season. After eight matchdays, he leads the division’s goalscoring charts with nine goals, the best total for any Bremen player in history at this point in a campaign. Additionally, he has scored in each of his past seven consecutive league games, becoming the first Werderaner to do so since Rudi Völler in 1982/83.

Füllkrug has not only been prolific, but also efficient. While he leads all of his Bremen teammates in shots, he has fired off only 28 in total, meaning he averages around three efforts per goal. He is currently outperforming his xGoals value by 2.7, making him the division's most lethal player.

His form has even prompted calls for his return to the Germany national team, for whom he has 14 goals in 24 caps. “He cannot be ignored,” commented Bundesliga legend and Sky pundit Lothar Matthäus recently.

Füllkrug has an impressive record for Germany, but hasn't played for his country since June 2025. - IMAGO/Gerhard Schultheiß

All in all, Bremen and their talisman seem like a perfect fit, and it is not only Werder benefiting from the reunion. The 33-year-old’s only season at Borussia Dortmund saw him score 15 goals in 43 games and play in a UEFA Champions League final, but Serhou Guirassy’s arrival in the summer of 2024 made him surplus to requirements.

Between his switch to West Ham prior to the 2024/25 season and his return to Germany during this summer’s transfer window, he managed just four goals in 49 appearances in all competitions, having also spent six months on loan at AC Milan. Now back in his happy place, his confidence is back, and he is making up for lost time.

He has received praise from all quarters, such as from teammate Karl Hein, who said last month, "Now I can understand why he was in the Champions League final. What he does for us on and off the pitch is enormous. This guy is a monster."

In contrast, Demirović’s progress has been largely linear, making him increasingly essential to his side’s success. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international has been in Germany since 2020 as a professional, having previously featured for RB Leipzig’s youth team before moving abroad.

His first Bundesliga stop, Freiburg, allowed him to show his talent in fits and bursts, but his last act at the club was a missed penalty in the shoot-out of their maiden DFB Cup final, which they lost to Leipzig. A swap with Augsburg’s Michael Gregoritsch in the summer of 2022 followed, and since then he has gone from strength to strength.

In 66 games for Die Fuggerstädter in all competitions, he netted 23 goals, including 15 during the 2023/24 campaign. He also racked up nine Bundesliga assists and was made club captain in only his second season, showing his strong leadership skills.

Demirović impressed at Augsburg prior to his Stuttgart switch. - IMAGO/Harald Bremes

Following their return to the Champions League, Stuttgart made Demirović one of their key signings in the summer of 2024, and the forward has delivered ever since. He scored 17 goals in his first season, followed by 15 in 2025/26, despite competition for a starting spot with Nick Woltemade and Deniz Undav.

This past transfer window, Die Schwaben invested in Dženan Pejčinović, and a hat-trick on his debut in the DFB Cup suggested Demirović’s place could be in the balance. Instead, though, he has risen to the occasion and kicked on to another level.

After just eight Bundesliga games, he has a Stuttgart-leading five goals, while his joint-Champions League high of four goals includes a hat-trick against Viking on Matchday 1. Add in two DFB Cup strikes, and he already has 11 in all competitions, just six off his best haul in a single campaign.

Watch: Demirović scored twice against Leverkusen

As such, he has made himself indispensable to Sebastian Hoeneß’ side, and the Stuttgart head coach is under no illusion as to how important Demirović is to his team’s attack. “Medo is a key player for us. His scoring record is outstanding once again, even though, and I see this as a positive, he could have scored even more goals. He has a fantastic standing in the team and is one of the captains,” he explained.

Ultimately, goals win games, and Füllkrug and Demirović will both be key to their respective sides' attacking threat this weekend. The question is which striker will extend his scoring run and make the telling contribution.