The team have landed, the final training session is done: VfB are all set for their third match in the Europa League at Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday evening (kick-off 18:45 CEST). Sebastian Hoeneß’s men are looking to harness their momentum from recent weeks and collect another three points in the battle to reach the knockout stages.
Hoeneß and his team are well aware that this task won’t be easy at the Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium, the home ground of last season’s runners-up in the Turkish Süper Lig. “We’re facing a very strong squad, with a lot of players who have played for some of the best clubs in the world,” said Hoeneß. “It’s going to be a really tough task for us and we have respect for Fenerbahce. But these are also the games you hope for in the draw and therefore we’re looking forward to this encounter.”
His opposite number Domenico Tedesco, who grew up in the Stuttgart region and used to work as a youth coach at VfB, has succeeded in giving the team "an identity that meets his expectations of the game”, according to Hoeneß. With a wealth of experience in the squad, several tricky and fast players as well as vociferous fans in the stands, the head coach is sure that Fenerbahce will stretch VfB to the limit. For his team, that means it’s a case of causing the hosts problems: “In the home match against Nice, they put themselves in a good position early on. We therefore want to try to trouble the opponents through our style of play and commitment. That requires willingness to run and intensity.”
For this mission, the VfB boss can pick from virtually a full squad. Aside from Ermedin Demirovic, who is sidelined with a foot injury, the only other absentee for Hoeneß is Jamie Leweling, who’s been nursing a muscular problem since the international break. Finn Jeltsch and Deniz Undav, who missed the last Europa League match at Basel, are back on board.
