All of VfB’s internationals returned to Bad Cannstatt fit and well ahead of Bundesliga Matchday 8, with the only doubts concerning Hiroki Ito. “Hiroki wasn’t able to play in either of Japan’s matches due to problems with his back,” said VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß. “That’s improved though and I’m hopeful that he’ll be able to play for us this weekend, but we won’t know that until shortly before kick-off.” Fabian Bredlow however is less likely to be taking part due to what the coach described as a bruised hip. Nikolas Nartey and Dennis Seimen are still unavailable, as is Josha Vagnoman.
After two months away at the Asian Games, Wooyeong Jeong is also back in Stuttgart. “Woo really caught the eye with his performances and enjoyed himself over there,” the coach said. “We were all quick to congratulate him as soon as he got back. Korea won the tournament and he also ended up as top scorer, and then he went on to play twice for his country’s first team, where he also got on the scoresheet. All in all it was a great experience for him.”
Chris Führich, too, was all smiles upon his return to the VfB training centre after making his Germany debut. “Chris was beaming when he got back to us. Being picked to represent his country and getting to play in the first match meant a lot to him,” said Hoeneß. “He got plenty of sleep on the plane and was desperate to train with us today. He did a session on his own this morning and is getting ready for this weekend’s action.”
Saturday sees VfB travel to face a Union Berlin side that has lost its last seven matches, but as Hoeneß says: “Union have got plenty to prove and have no doubt been working on a lot of things. I’ve seen most of their players in action and to my mind, things aren’t as clear as they might appear at first glance, and I think that their bad run is a little misleading. In recent years, they’ve really come on as a team and they can be an awkward opponent when they’ve got their fans behind them. We’ve really been preparing for them though and we’ll hopefully be in a position to give them plenty to think about.”