“The match against Maccabi Tel Aviv is hugely important,” said head coach Sebastian Hoeneß, adding: “If we get a win, we have a very good chance of staying in European competition beyond the league phase.“ With nine points from five games so far, VfB can take a big step towards achieving that aim on Thursday evening (kick-off 18:45 CET). The meeting with the Israeli side is therefore of great sporting significance. At the same time, the VfB boss warned against underestimating the opposition.
Reduce the number of goals conceded
“They’re a team who like to play football,” described the 43-year-old, who nevertheless knows from looking at the table – VfB are currently 12th, Tel Aviv second from bottom – what the expectations are for this fixture. “It’s the Europa League, we have to deliver a top performance and show that we’re ready to go to our limit.”
That applies especially to the team’s defensive work. Having kept several clean sheets in the early part of the season, the number of goals conceded has crept up recently. It’s a point that the coaching staff and players have identified – and are working on intensively. “We need to be better in the details again, which relates to both individual aspects and how we act as a collective,” said Hoeneß. “Our common objective is to bring the average number of goals conceded back down. The basis of winning games is conceding little to no goals.”
Two U21 talents drafted into squad
One player who won’t be able to help with that against Maccabi is Jeff Chabot, who’s suspended having collected three yellow cards in the competition. Fellow defenders Luca Jaquez and Dan-Axel Zagadou are sidelined by injuries, while Ameen Al-Dakhil, Pascal Stenzel and Leonidas Stergiou are not registered for the league phase.
VfB have reacted to that by including two talents from the U21 team in the squad. Defenders Christopher Olivier and Maximilian Herwerth, both 19, will be available for selection on Thursday.
