VfB begin their 2024/25 campaign with a trip to the BayArena to face last season’s double-winners Bayer Leverkusen in the DFL Supercup. “We came close [to beating them] last year, so we’re going to have another go at leaving the pitch as winners,” head coach Sebastian Hoeneß said on Thursday. “Anything is possible in a one-off game, plus there are a lot of new faces and different circumstances.”
The VfB boss views Saturday’s encounter as much more than just a glorified pre-season game, telling reporters: “The prize is an official trophy and we’ve worked long and hard to earn our place in this fixture, so we’re not approaching this game as a friendly. There’s a positive atmosphere in the squad. The joy and excitement levels are rising and my general feeling is that we’re ready for competitive games.”
Despite the palpable excitement surrounding the club, Hoeneß and his players know they are set for a challenging campaign this term. “I’ve spoken to the lads and told them they’re in for an extraordinary season,” he said. “It’ll take time for things to settle, but we’ve managed to add quality and potential, so the team spirit is building already.”
All VfB’s first-team players are now back in Stuttgart. Olympic silver medal winner Enzo Millot – the final player to return from international duty – was back in training this week, following hot on the heels of Chris Führich, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Deniz Undav and summer signing Fabian Rieder, who returned to team training last week. Leonidas Stergiou, Nico Nartey, Luca Pfeiffer, Josha Vagnoman, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Luca Raimund, however, are unavailable for the trip to Leverkusen.