“We have to be at our best”

“Fortunately, our injury list isn’t all that long anymore,” said Sebastian Hoeneß at the start of Thursday’s press conference ahead of the Matchday 3 trip to Borussia Mönchengladbach. “Nicolas Nartey, Leonidas Stergiou and Ameen Al-Dakhil remain sidelined, and Frans Krätzig is a doubt after returning from international duty with a calf muscle issue. Anthony Rouault is back in full training and therefore in contention for a place in the matchday squad.” Aside from Rouault, all VfB players who represented their respective countries during the recent international break were also involved in Thursday morning’s session.

Gerardo Seoane’s Gladbach side began their campaign with a 3-2 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen but won 2-0 at VfL Bochum last time out to claim their first league victory of the season. “In Kevin Stöger and Tim Kleindienst, Borussia have two new players in their starting XI compared to last season,” continued the VfB boss. “They are two very good players who we know well, have had a big impact in their games so far and have played a role in their turnaround. Gladbach look a different side overall. You can sense a feeling of optimism. Something always seems to happen at Borussia-Park. There’s a good atmosphere there, so we have to be at our best.”

When asked about VfB’s return of one point from their opening two league games, Hoeneß replied: “It’s important to me that we have a good attitude and play well. We need to extend the good periods we’ve had, such as the first 30 minutes against Mainz. Results are important for our continued development. We’ll do all we can to have a good game and get a good result.”