On Monday afternoon, Ibrahima Traore and Mamadou Bah were back in full team training with Bruno Labbadia’s men again and preparing for this weekend’s clash with Hoffenheim, having had just two days off. The coach was also happy to welcome back Georg Niedermeier and Ermin Bicakcic, who have joined up with the team again having recovered from injury. The session began with a song though, as the players produced a verse of 'Happy Birthday' for kit-man Kostas Papandrafillis, who was celebrating his 58th on Monday.
As short a time ago as Saturday, Traore and Bah were some 5,000 kilometres south of Stuttgart, participating in an African Cup of Nations qualifier with the Guinean national team. In injury time, Ibrahima Traore scored the all-important equaliser to make it 2-2, meaning Guinea qualifies for the summer 2012 tournament undefeated: "The people back home are very proud of us. Hardly anyone had been expecting us to qualify," explained Traore.
Partners of VfB Stuttgart
| Pos. | Team | P. | W | D | L | +/- | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10. |  |
1. FC Nürnberg | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 39:47 | 44 |
| 11. |  |
VfL Wolfsburg | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 47:52 | 43 |
| 12. |  |
VfB Stuttgart | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 37:55 | 43 |
| 13. |  |
1. FSV Mainz 05 | 34 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 42:44 | 42 |
| 14. |  |
SV Werder Bremen | 34 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 50:66 | 34 |
| Pos. | Team | P. | W | D | L | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | FC Hansa Rostock | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 39:52 | 44 |
| 14. | Rot-Weiß Erfurt | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 44:58 | 44 |
| 14. | AC Libertas | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6:5 | 5 |
| 14. | 1. FC Nürnberg | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6:5 | 5 |
| 15. | VfB Stuttgart II | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 35:42 | 43 |
| 30. m.day | 21.04. | 15:30 | VfB Stuttgart | 2-1 | SC Freiburg |
| 31. m.day | 27.04. | 15:30 | FC Augsburg | 3-0 | VfB Stuttgart |
| 32. m.day | 04.05. | 15:30 | VfB Stuttgart | 0-2 | SpVgg Greuther Fürth |
| 33. m.day | 11.05. | 15:30 | FC Schalke 04 | 1-2 | VfB Stuttgart |
| 34. m.day | 18.05. | 15:30 | VfB Stuttgart | 2-2 | 1. FSV Mainz 05 |
| 34. m.day | 20.04. | 14:00 | VfB Stuttgart II | 0-0 | SV W. Burghausen |
| 35. m.day | 27.04. | 14:00 | VfL Osnabrück | 2-0 | VfB Stuttgart II |
| 36. m.day | 03.05. | 18:00 | VfB Stuttgart II | 0-1 | DSC Arminia Bielefeld |
| 37. m.day | 11.05. | 13:30 | Alemannia Aachen | 4-2 | VfB Stuttgart II |
| 38. m.day | 18.05. | 13:30 | VfB Stuttgart II | 0-1 | Borussia Dortmund II |
