“It’s a very important game for both teams,“ explained Sebastian Hoeneß at the press conference ahead of the meeting with 1. FC Heidenheim on Friday night at the sold-out MHP Arena (20:30 CEST).
VfB are without a win in their last five Bundesliga matches at home. “That’s not nice to read,” acknowledged Hoeneß. “That makes it even more important that we first deliver a really good performance on the pitch, in order to then get the right result.” It’s about time his team finally celebrated with the fans in white and red at their own stadium again.
Several insights gained
The recipe for success, according to the VfB head coach, is to “be solid in defence and dangerous in attack.” The 42-year-old added: “Together, we’re working on reducing the number of goals we’ve conceded.” Scoring them has not been as much of a problem, however. Stuttgart have had 17 different goalscorers this season, the most in the German top flight, and have also netted the fifth-most goals. Setting up team-mates, creating chances – VfB always pose a threat. That should also be the case against Heidenheim, even if the opponents – in a positive sense – can be nasty. “Intensive, aggressive, committed – Heidenheim throw everything into every match and are determined to stay in the league,” said Hoeneß. “For us, that doesn’t just mean standing our ground, but also constantly finding solutions and attacking with purpose.”
Leweling returns, Millot out
Enzo Millot (muscle injury) will miss the match against Heidenheim, along with long-term absentees El Bilal, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Anrie Chase, Nikolas Nartey and Luca Raimund. Josha Vagnoman and Justin Diehl are both still working their way back to full fitness, but Jamie Leweling is available again after missing the trip to Berlin last week.