Hoeneß keeps Guirassy, Undav, and Nübel on "questionable" status ahead of Mainz
VfB trainer Sebastian Hoeneß provided squad updates ahead of tomorrow's league showdown with FSV Mainz 05 at his Saturday presser.
Speaking at a Saturday pre-match press conference, VfB Stuttgart trainer Sebastian Hoeneß wished to make clear that he took upcoming league opponents FSV Mainz 05 seriously despite the fact that Jan Siewert's side have looked especially poor in their last two fixtures. The VfB gaffer noted that his team prepared to welcome an "intense and compact" squad to the MHP-Arena.
"The team invests an incredible amount and are difficult to play against," Hoeneß said, "It's hard to create chances against them, let alone score goals. We're prepared to approach the game with 100 percent seriousness. This team doesn't take any opponent lightly."
Stuttgart's clear advantage on paper might be obviated by some recent injury issues. Recently returned from the Africa Cup of Nations striker Serhou Guirassy continued to fight a stomach bug this week. German forward Deniz Undav picked up a muscle injury in Tuesday's Pokal loss and hasn't been able to partake in full team training since. Keeper Alexander Nübel is also carrying a knock.
Hoeneß let the trio's available remain at "questionable" ahead of tomorrow's clash. It might be the case that Hoeneß opts not to chance it with either Guirassy or Undav against a weak opponent, irrespective of his words at the assembled media round. Union Berlin loanee Jamie Leweling can start at center forward. The 22-year-old Germany U21 international even did so with Undav working the wing in the round 19 5-2 rout of Leipzig.