Record against Hamburg:
Overall: 118 games – 48 wins, 24 draws, 46 defeats. 193:179 goal difference.
In the Bundesliga: 104 games – 38 wins, 22 draws, 44 defeats. 162:157 goal difference.
Form: Good signs for VfB
Hamburg are without a win in five Bundesliga matches, collecting just one point and scoring only three goals in that time. VfB, meanwhile, are on 22 points after 11 matchdays. In the last 20 Bundesliga campaigns including this one, the Cannstatt boys have only had more points at this stage in the 2023/24 season (24). Moreover, they’ve already registered more points than in the entire second half of last season (21).
Europe a good omen
Sebastian Hoeneß’s side have won all four of their league matches following a Europa League fixture this season (2-1 at Köln, 1-0 against Heidenheim, 2-1 against Mainz and 3-2 against Augsburg).
What the coaches say: Clear ideas on both sides
Sebastian Hoeneß: “We want to carry the momentum from our previous games into the match against HSV and, three days after playing in the Europa League, show the intensity we need to play our game on the pitch.”
Merlin Polzin: “It’s going to be a really cool challenge. The quality of the coach and the players is extremely high. We know to assess that in the right way. We need a clear plan, which we’ve been working on during the week. And we need a different energy level to the one we had at the start of the game at Augsburg. With the support of the stadium, we want to do better at that on Sunday.”
Team news: Several absentees for VfB
Stuttgart again have a number of injuries to contend with. Ermedin Demirovic (foot), Yannik Keitel, Tiago Tomás, Dan-Axel Zagadou (all muscle injuries) and Justin Diehl (ankle) are all ruled out, while Noah Darvich is playing for the U21s.
Attendance: Over 5,500 VfB fans will be cheering on Hoeneß’s men in Hamburg.
