Ahead of the Bundesliga derby at TSG Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß is demanding a top performance from his team. The match on Saturday (15:30 CEST) is Stuttgart's shortest away trip of the season, with the club currently 14th in the table with three points from three games.
Hoeneß warned about the opponent, which has played well despite losing its opening two matches 2-3 to Köln and Dortmund. "The results from Hoffenheim’s first two matches certainly don’t reflect their performances to date," the coach said at VfB's press conference. He stressed the need to be ready from the first whistle. "We will need to be on it right from kick-off on Saturday and put in our best possible performance if we are going to get anything out of what is a very tough away trip."
Hoeneß returns
For Hoeneß, it's a return, having managed Hoffenheim from 2020 to 2022. The VfB squad also features former Hoffenheim players: Angelo Stiller joined in 2023 and Grischa Prömel arrived in the summer of 2024. Both know the atmosphere at the SNP Arena, which is just 84 kilometres as the crow flies from the MHP Arena.
VfB urgently needs to collect points after a poor start to the season. The team has scored six goals in three games but conceded eight. The current top scorer this season is Josha Vagnoman with two goals. The injury list is lengthy, including Dan Zagadou, Dennis Seimen, Lorenz Assignon, Luca Jaquez, Tiago Tomás and Angelo Stiller. A full overview of the squad is available on our squad page.
The next match is already waiting in a week. VfB Stuttgart then hosts current second-placed side Borussia Dortmund. All upcoming fixtures are listed in our fixtures schedule. Sebastian Hoeneß's team must lay the foundation for a positive run with a result in Sinsheim on Saturday.
