Position
It was hard work for VfB but the Stuttgart team deservedly progressed to the DFB Pokal Round of 16 on Tuesday night after winning a hard-fought match against FC Kaiserslautern. VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß rotated his players and made nine changes to the side that beat Holstein Kiel 2-1 in the league. "It's outstanding how the lads worked on the pitch and how they imposed themselves," said Hoeneß praising his players after the 2-1 win. Nick Woltemade opened the scoring on 14 minutes for an early lead for the Stuttgart team unbeaten at home for a year. FCK, DFB Pokal final opponents for the Werkself in Berlin last May, equalised from the penalty spot before half-time. The Swabian side upped the pressure in the second half but initially missed several good chances. Germany international Chris Führich netted the winner on 76 minutes.
After the 1-0 victory at Juventus in the Champions League and the 2-1 scoreline against Holstein Kiel it was the third win in succession for VfB Stuttgart. They particularly gained a boost from impressive performance away to the Italian side who were unbeaten across all competitions at that point. "This win can help us develop," said Hoeneß after the first win for Stuttgart in the Champions League in almost 15 years. And sporting managing director Fabian Wohlgemut highlighted: "We shook Juventus and then brought them down. That feels really good. We dominated the game and the opponents. The result makes a good performance even more valuable."
Last season's runners-up made a mixed start to the Bundesliga campaign. A defeat in the opener at SC Freiburg (1-3) was followed by a 3-3 draw at home to Mainz 05 and then two convincing wins against Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-1) and Borussia Dortmund (5-1). VfB Stuttgart then went four games without a win (three draws, one defeat) with the 4-0 defeat at Bayern Munich being particularly painful. The team from Stuttgart now appear to be back to winning ways. They are currently eighth in the Bundesliga on twelve points, three behind Bayer 04 in third place. VfB and the Werkself meet at the BayArena for the second time this season on Friday night. The two teams were involved in an exciting clash in the Supercup in August with the Werkself winning on penalties after a 2-2 scoreline after 90 minutes.
Personnel
Central defender Jeff Chabot will miss the game against Bayer 04 for two reasons. First, the 26-year-old is suspended after picking up two yellow cards in the game against Kiel. Secondly, he also suffered a minor muscle injury. Hoeneß will also have to manage without two other defenders: Dan-Axel Zagadou (knee injury) and Leonidas Stergiou (training deficit). In addition, midfielder Yannick Keitel (groin injury) and forward Luca Raimund (thigh injury) will most probably not be available. Hoeneß is expected to rotate his players again for the game in Leverkusen compared with the Pokal tie against FC Kaiserslautern. Number one keeper Alexander Nübel is set to return in goal in place of Fabian Bredlow. And key players like Maximilian Mittelstädt, Josha Vagnoman, Angelo Stiller, Enzo Millot, Jamie Leweling, El Bilal Touré and Deniz Undav should be in line for a slot in the starting XI. They only came on in the second half against Kaiserslautern or – as with Mittelstädt and Touré – did not feature.
Problems
Like the Werkself, the Stuttgart defence has not yet been as solid as last season. Stuttgart conceded 39 goals last term the second lowest number in the league behind Bayer 04 (24). The Swabians have had to pick the ball out of their own net 16 times already this season. That is one more than the Werkself. Like Bayer 04, they have not kept a clean sheet in the league. The problems in defence for VfB are mainly due to injuries to defenders. It is also due to not compensating for the departure of the established central defenders Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund) and Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich). That cannot happen straightaway. The Hoeneß team have conceded a lot of goals in the second half (11) including the four goals in the defeat in Munich. The VfB defence has improved significantly since then. They have only let in two goals in the last three matches.
Performers
Brave, keen to play, hungry for goals: VfB once again count amongst the strongest teams in attack in the Bundesliga this season. Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirovic have scored five times with Enzo Millot finding the back of the net three times. But the newly capped international Jamie Leweling (one) and the left winger on loan from Atalanta El Bilal Touré (two) are always capable of scoring. The latter came off the bench in the Champions League game in Turin to score an impressive goal. And, of course, there is Chris Führich. He has yet to score in the league but did net the winner against Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal on Tuesday. Fast and accurate passing, a lot of possession, dangerous at set-pieces: VfB and the Werkself have similar strengths in those areas.
