The long wait is finally over: for the first time in 13 years, VfB will play a knockout match in European competition. The boys from Cannstatt finished 11th in the league phase table of the UEFA Europa League, setting up a knockout phase play-off tie against Celtic FC. The first leg, in Scotland on Thursday at 21:00 CET, is an encounter VfB and fans alike are very much looking forward to.
“Celtic Park is a special stadium; the fans can get really loud,” said Sebastian Hoeneß. “It’s a very exciting draw, but at the same time a very difficult one. We’ll need a top-class performance.”
VfB landed in Glasgow on Wednesday afternoon, following in-depth preparations for the game that included going through different phases and scenarios. Fundamentally, VfB want to take a proactive approach, even if the nature of a knockout tie affects how teams operate on the pitch.
Results are what counts
“You have to be ruthless in the knockout rounds, so we’ll need to be clinical in front of goal,” added the 43-year-old. VfB have produced a number of good performances this season in the Europa League, but at this stage of the competition Hoeneß is keen for his players to “reward themselves with results”.
Celtic will obviously be out to prevent that happening. The Scots, who ended the league phase in 21st place, have shown improved form of late. “Celtic have had somewhat of a turbulent season but can really generate a lot of power,” Hoeneß said. “They’re back on track now and have been unbeaten for several matches. They have the quality to hurt any team.”
Demirovic to start
The VfB tactician was understandably keen not to give too much away in terms of his team selection, but did confirm that in-form striker Ermedin Demirovic will start. Dan-Axel Zagadou, Justin Diehl and Lazar Jovanovic are all absent, though.
