Our next opponents: VfB come to Leverkusen in top form

Everything is running smoothly again at VfB Stuttgart. After two away defeats in Mönchengladbach and Bochum at the start of the year, the Swabians were back in outstanding form both in the 5-2 win against RB Leipzig as well as last weekend’s match away to SC Freiburg. Stuttgart earned a richly deserved 3-1 victory and further secured third place in the table. Deniz Undav (3’) and Chris Führich (7’) got the visitors off to a flying start and they had an extra man for most of the game after Freiburg's Merlin Röhl was shown a red card early on (18'). "We started the game with passion, precision and smart vertical play," said VfB sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth. Maximilian Mittelstädt sealed the result on 74 minutes with his first goal in a VfB shirt. "The win makes me proud and happy and I'd like to dedicate it to Daxo who suffered a serious injury in the week," said coach Sebastian Hoeneß in reference to central defender Dan-Axel Zagadou.

Season over for Zagadou

The VfB coach had to reorganise his defensive formation for the game at Freiburg due to the injury to Zagadou. The Frenchman suffered torn knee ligaments off the ball in training. The VfB defender is out for the rest of the season. For the game in Freiburg at the weekend, Hoeneß opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation in place of the previously preferred 3-4-3 line-up. Alongside central defenders Waldemar Anton and Anthony Rouault, Maximilian Mittelstädt (left) and Leonidas Stergiou, making his first start, played at full-back. Atakan Karazor and Angelo Stiller were in defensive midfield. Enzo Millot was the playmaker in central midfield, Chris Führich and Joshua Vagnoman were on the wings. As usual, Deniz Undav played up front and he was once again in excellent form.

Guirassy and Ito set to return

It is possible that Stuttgart's second top striker will be back for the game in Leverkusen on Tuesday. Serhou Guirassy has missed recent games due to his participation in AFCON. Last Friday he went out of the competition with Guinea in the quarter-final against Congo DR with his VfB teammate Silas playing for the opposition. While Silas and midfielder Woo-yeong Jeong, who is in the semi-final of the Asian Cup with South Korea, will miss the game against Bayer 04, Hiroki Ito could be available again. The defender was on the losing side with Japan in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup. "We'll have to see how Serhou and Hiroki have dealt with the rigours of travel over the last few weeks," said Fabian Wohlgemuth, "but we are confident they will be with us on Tuesday." VfB are also optimistic in terms of Führich, Mittelstädt and Rouault – all three suffered knocks in the game in Freiburg but are highly likely to be able to play in Leverkusen.

One option in midfield since the start of the month is Mahmoud Dahoud who has joined Stuttgart on loan from Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. The 28-year-old former Dortmund and Mönchengladbach player made a brief debut appearance against Freiburg.

impressive attacking Trio

VfB have often shown this season how powerful they are in attack. Deniz Undav, with a hat-trick, was the man of the match in the 5-2 win against Leipzig two weeks ago. And the centre-forward made a crucial contribution to the 3-1 win in Freiburg on Saturday with a goal and two assists. Undav now has 13 goals and five assists. His strike partner Serhou Guirassy is currently on 17 goals and three assists. If you add winger Chris Führich (6/6) then this trio have scored 36 of Stuttgart's 46 goals in the Bundesliga. An impressive return. VfB have the third-best attack in the league after Bayern Munich and Bayer 04.

no goals conceded in DFB-pokal

VfB Stuttgart are also solid at the back. The Hoeneß team has not conceded a single goal in this season's DFB-Pokal competition. The 4-0 victory over Regional League TSG Balingen was followed by a 1-0 win against Union Berlin and a 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16. VfB Stuttgart will now approach the next challenge in Leverkusen in confident mood. "We very probably won't come unstuck there due to lack of determination, desire and attitude," said sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth. "Everything else is down to the rules and regulations of the Pokal."