Hoeneß on Leverkusen “challenge”

Sebastian Hoeneß will once again have to make do without Konstantinos Mavropanos when his side host Bayer 04 Leverkusen this weekend, but the VfB boss is determined to focus on the positives. “He’s making good progress,” he said of the defender on Thursday. “I’m cautiously optimistic that Dinos will be in contention for a place in the squad against Mainz [a week on Sunday].”

One player who isn’t expected to miss Sunday’s game is centre-back Daxo Zagadou, who returned to training on Thursday despite having to end Wednesday’s session early with a knee complaint. “Daxo has an incredible physique, he’s a leading figure and a very pleasant person,” said Hoeneß. “He’s incredibly valuable for us, particularly with his presence in the centre [of defence], and I’m happy to have him.”

“Prepared to play to their limits”

“Leverkusen are one of the strongest counter-attacking teams in Europe and have unbelievable pace,” Hoeneß replied when asked about sixth-placed Bayer. “It’ll be important not to give the ball away cheaply and offer our opponents opportunities to intercept the ball. We’ll need discipline and structure and if we can produce those things together, we’ll be able to play to our strengths as a unit too. That’s our challenge.”

In preparation for Sunday’s game, Hoeneß has been relying on a tried and tested combination of commitment and focus in training, coupled with enjoyment and a degree of composure. “The team are focused, prepared to play to their limits and believe they can achieve our objective together,” concluded the VfB coach.