Before the top game against Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart will probably have to worry about top scorer Serhou Guirassy playing until the last minute.
Before the top game against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday (from 3:30 p.m. live in the radio report and in the live ticker on the Sportschau), VfB Stuttgart will probably have to worry about top scorer Serhou Guirassy playing until the last minute.
“He took part in some training again on Thursday. He’s doing quite well so far, we still have to wait and see,” said VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß: “It’s going to be a precision landing, we have to wait for training on Friday.”
But it’s more about whether he will even be in the squad. A starting eleven is probably out of the question. With 14 goals in the first eight Bundesliga games, Guirassy was the guarantee for Stuttgart’s strong start to the season. Without the 27-year-old, there were two defeats in three competitive games, most recently VfB lost in the Bundesliga against Hoffenheim (2:3) and at 1. FC Heidenheim with 0:2.
Comparison with Harry Kane
Hoeneß confirmed that the team was missing the striker. “If you take Harry Kane out of Bayern, sooner or later it will be noticeable,” said the coach, “but I don’t want to blame him for losing two out of three games.”
Hoeneß: Most recently “not at the performance limit”
Due to the defeats against Hoffenheim (2:3) and in Heidenheim (0:2), VfB lost touch with leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Most recently, his team “basically didn’t reach our performance limit,” complained Hoeneß.
The coach is expecting a high-scoring game against BVB – similar to his VfB debut in April, when the two teams drew 3-3 in a turbulent duel. “The conditions are not bad. They are two teams that have a lot of offense. There is a high probability that we will see goals.”
Hoeneß still expects “a stable Dortmund team that will try to go into the international break feeling successful.” His team will also aim to do the same.
