VfB visit Freiburg on Matchday 20 of the Bundesliga (kick-off 15:30 CET). Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß must do without Serhou Guirassy, Silas (both at AFCON), Wooyeong Jeong and Hiroki Ito (both at the Asian Cup) as well as injured duo Nikolas Nartey and Dan-Axel Zagadou. “Yesterday was a sad, difficult day,“ said Hoeneß on Zagadou’s season-ending knee injury.
“We were all hugely disappointed after the diagnosis for Dan-Axel. Daxo is one of our key players and one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, combining strong tackling and heading with footballing ability. He’s also one of the best characters I’ve ever worked with and a very important point of contact for me. It’s a tough blow for us, but from tomorrow at the latest we’ll be looking forward.”
After three away defeats on the spin, the Cannstatt boys are hoping to build on their last home game. “This match is a huge chance for us to pick up where we left off against Leipzig,” said the VfB boss. “I don’t just mean the result, but the way we played because against Leipzig we really got the idea of playing with high concentration and high quality. Freiburg will be a different game, but we have to start well again and then see what questions Freiburg pose us. It’s a difficult place to go because they’re strong at home again.”
There will certainly be changes to the line-up from last Saturday’s win over Leipzig, with Zagadou sidelined and Atakan Karazor available again after suspension. Mahmoud Dahoud could also make his debut after training with his new teammates for the first time today. “A very important signing, which gives us more options,” commented Hoeneß. “Mo knows the Bundesliga, is fit and can help us immediately.”