“We need a good game plan”

VfB Stuttgart and 1. FC Heidenheim lock horns for the first time in the Bundesliga this weekend. Promoted Heidenheim have collected seven points so far in their maiden top-flight campaign, leaving them in 13^th place going into Matchday 10. “We’re prepared for a tough encounter,” said VfB boss Sebastian Hoeneß. “Heidenheim have won two home games so far, are doing very well for a promoted side and are putting in a great deal of effort. They’ll be up for it and are going to make life difficult for us.”

After losing 3-2 to Hoffenheim in their first home defeat of the season last weekend, Hoeneß and his players are determined to return to winning ways on Sunday. “We want to get the three points and try to start another run in the Bundesliga. To do that, we need to get three points in Heidenheim and we’re confident of doing so, despite the difficulty of the challenge facing us.”

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Hoeneß’s opposite number Frank Schmidt has been in charge of Heidenheim since 2007. “Frank is a key figure at the club and a very likeable person who has done an incredible job at Heidenheim over the years and decades,” Hoeneß said. “But we still want to beat them on Sunday, and to do that we’ll need to put our stamp on the game and prevent them from gaining control of proceedings. We need a good game plan and need to be wide awake. It’s going to be a difficult task.”