The VfB players were put through their paces in a highly competitive training session on Wednesday. “We’ve had a good few days’ training,” said holding midfielder Atakan Karazor. “Just as everyone fought for one another in training today, that’s how we want to perform against Bochum. We’ll only be able to do so if we show 100 per cent passion. That’s what we have to bring onto the pitch. We want to fight for these three points.”
The boys from Cannstatt are back in action at the Mercedes-Benz Arena at 15:30 CET on Saturday, when they take on a VfL Bochum side who made headlines with their recent 4-2 win over FC Bayern Munich. “Even without the game against Bayern, Bochum are still having a good season,” added Karazor, 25, who played for VfL at youth level. “I had a great time there and used to be a ball boy at the stadium from time to time. I also grew up in the region, so it’s a special motivation for me. The only thing that matters to us, though, is that we show our fans that we’re capable of reproducing our performances in training on the pitch at the weekend.”