VfB Stuttgart’s preparations for their next Bundesliga assignment began late on Thursday night. Having cruised to a 4-1 victory over Celtic FC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off, Sebastian Hoeneß and his troops left Celtic Park and headed straight to Glasgow airport for their return flight to Stuttgart, where they will continue to fine-tune those preparations for the trip to 1. FC Heidenheim on Sunday 21 February (kick-off 19:30 CET). After all, the encounter with the Bundesliga’s bottom side is more difficult than the raw numbers suggest.
Heidenheim’s intensity and commitment levels ‘outstanding’
“The table does not reflect Heidenheim’s quality,” said Hoeneß, adding: “Last weekend, they dominated their game against Augsburg (L1-0) for long periods and they also put in a good performance against Dortmund (L3-2).”
More often than not, Frank Schmidt’s team get the basics down to a tee and always perform with great commitment. “When it comes to intensity and spirit, Heidenheim are always outstanding,” Hoeneß continued. “We’re facing a side who are going to give everything they’ve got to win the game.”
Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß:
We want to deliver our best performance on Sunday.
VfB witnessed first-hand how tough a side Heidenheim are in the corresponding fixture earlier this season, when they ground out a narrow 1-0 victory at the MHP Arena. “We want to deliver our best performance on Sunday,” Hoeneß said. “To do that, we need to work hard from the first minute of the game, get the basics right and push ourselves to the absolute limit in terms of commitment.”
Key Bundesliga points at stake
As VfB look to cement their place in the top six of the Bundesliga table, every point is vital for Hoeneß and his players. The VfB boss was keen to underline that the league remains their top priority, saying: “Despite all the joy over the win in Glasgow, the Bundesliga is still our most important competition.”
