VfB Stuttgart get Bundesliga Matchday 25 underway at home to 1. FC Union Berlin on Friday evening (kick-off 20:30 CET). Captain Waldemar Anton is a doubt ahead of the fixture against the side currently 14th in the table, having sustained a knock to his thigh in the clash with VfL Wolfsburg last week.
“It’s looking like Waldi won’t be able to play,” said head coach Sebastian Hoeneß. “He’s only been able to complete some parts of training this week. We’ll make a final decision tomorrow.” There was more positive news surrounding Atakan Karazor and Roberto Massimo, who both came through team training unscathed this week, while Genki Haraguchi returned to training with his team-mates on Thursday. Nikolas Nartey is doing well on the road to recovery following cartilage damage, but Axel Zagadou remains sidelined with injury.
Things are looking positive too for Deniz Undav, who came off the bench in the 71st minute against Wolfsburg. “He came through training without any problems this week,” said Hoeneß. “Having said that, Deniz has recently suffered repeated muscle problems. If he’s at 100 percent, he’s a candidate to start. Otherwise, he’ll be an option off the bench.”
The VfB head coach also stressed that Union have become more stable of late: “They’ve consistently picked up points under Nenad Bjelica. They don’t concede many goals, which is obviously a result of them making it very difficult for their opponents to create chances. They’re a tough nut to crack. It’ll be a mental challenge.”
Hoeneß is looking forward to playing under the Friday-night lights at the MHPArena. “The players can’t wait either,” he said. “A floodlit game and a sold-out stadium – it’s something special. We want to pick up points with a good performance in what will be a difficult game. That’s our aim.”