How is Marco Rose approaching his side’s meeting with VfB Stuttgart? And who will Die Roten Bullen have available for selection against their neighbours in the league table?
Friday morning’s press conference revealed the answers to those questions and more.
SQUAD UPDATE
- Willi Orban is back in team training, and could be an option for Saturday’s tie with Stuttgart. The captain’s place in the squad will be decided after training.
- Lukas Klostermann and Yussuf Poulsen have been back in full training since Wednesday, having previously been placed on a reduced workload, and will be available this weekend.
- Amadou Haidara is away on AFCON duty with Mali.
SUSPENSIONS
- Xavi‘s yellow card against Leverkusen was his fifth of the season, and sees the Dutchman suspended for the game against Stuttgart.
- Lois Openda and Mo Simakan are on four yellow cards for the season, and they too will pick up suspensions should they receive another booking.
Find all the latest team news here.
Marco Rose on…
…VfB Stuttgart:
- “They are a strong team who are in a good place right now. We will have a difficult game in Stuttgart. They have a good approach, play with a lot of intensity and with conviction – maybe even a bit more at home than away. They have good footballers in their ranks. They have a quick dribbler in Chris Führich, who has now become a Germany international, and another extremely fast player in Jamie Leweling. And even with Guirassy missing, they have a real goal-getter up top with Undav.
VfB are exactly where they deserve to be this season. Sebastian Hoeneß wants his team to play an attractive brand of football. They’re very good on the transition. Yes, they’ve lost their first two games of the year, but if you watch those defeats against Gladbach (3-1) and Bochum (1-0), they could easily have got a result. They had great chances in both matches, but that’s the way football goes sometimes.
I’m expecting an even battle against very good opposition. VfB are always capable of putting in extraordinary performances, especially at home. They’ve shown that against the likes of Dortmund this season, and beaten them in both the DFB-Pokal and the league. We’ll certainly need a top performance tomorrow, but we have confidence in our ability to do that.”
…the situation after two defeats:
- “We’re far from satisfied with it; it doesn’t feel nice. We’re not a team who are used to losing. We’re by no means sugar-coating things or pulling punches. If we defend better, if we’re more incisive with the ball against top teams like Leverkusen, then we’ll start winning again. We’re sure of that.
It’s important that we keep working, that I point the lads in the right direction and that we don’t lose our nerve. We believe in our strengths and we have a chance of victory in every game. We want to make the most of that at Stuttgart. Sometimes in football you have to be able to get through tough times. Standing together in these situations, and coming out of them as a group, helps us as a team. It only makes us stronger as a unit.”
More news
Team news: Xavi absent against Stuttgart
Stuttgart opponent analysis
Marco Rose on…
…Xavi’s absence:
- “Xavi is a great player who, even at a young age, has taken on a lot of responsibility. We’ll be without him in Stuttgart, but we have a strong squad and will be able to replace him.
Who can replace Xavi? Christoph Baumgartner is obviously an option, Eljif Elmas is an option. Eljif hasn’t been with us for very long, though; he needs a bit of time to adapt. So Baumi will most likely get the nod at Stuttgart.”
…Willi Orban:
- “Willi had a good first week back in training, obviously with certain limitations. But up to now, everything’s gone well. We’re satisfied, he’s satisfied. It’s too early for him to do too much, but when we get the green light, he’ll be back in the fold. He’s our captain and very important for us, on the pitch and off it. He might manage five minutes in Stuttgart. But he can have a positive influence in the dressing room and push the boys on. We’re very happy that Willi is back with us.