Stuttgart (AP) – Despite the chaos at the management level, VfB Stuttgart finally wants to win a home game in the Bundesliga.
The team of coach Pellegrino Matarazzo welcomes the next-to-bottom 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Friday (8.30 p.m. / DAZN) at the start of the 19th matchday. «You can see under the new coach in which direction the game idea and team spirit should go. They have a positive trend and are on the up. It’s not an easy task, ”warned Matarazzo.
His team only got one point from the last three games, is in a downtrend and is under pressure to maintain the comfortable lead over the relegation zone. Mainz recently surprised with a 3-2 win against RB Leipzig and want to continue their chase in the relegation battle.
Coach Bo Svensson showed himself to be a fan of VfB Stuttgart. “We mustn’t believe that we have the cracker behind us,” said the Dane, looking at the opponents of the past weeks – Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg and Leipzig. “I think Stuttgart is one of the top teams in the league.” The young VfB squad has “a lot of good footballers, good processes, and they stick to their style”.
The Stuttgart team is led by 33-year-old captain Gonzalo Castro, who is about to make his 400th appearance in the Bundesliga. Only Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (423) and the former VfB captain Christian Gentner (416) have made more appearances in the first division of the still active professionals than the former Leverkusen and Dortmund professional.
However, the sporty is currently overshadowed at VfB Stuttgart by a data affair and a political power struggle with CEO Thomas Hitzlsperger and President Claus Vogt as inglorious protagonists.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210128-99-211606 / 2
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