The duel between the previous surprise teams is coming up in the cup: Bayer Leverkusen welcomes VfB Stuttgart. Whoever wins here is the top favorite for the title.
Alexander Kohne / t-online
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This season, the DFB Cup is a matter for lower-class teams. There are four second division teams and one club from the third division in the quarter-finals.
This naturally increases the title chances of the three remaining first division teams – especially those of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen and third-placed VfB Stuttgart. These meet directly on Tuesday evening. Whoever wins this duel is considered the top favorite by fans and the media to win the cup.
This status is reinforced by the fact that Fortuna Düsseldorf (4:3 on penalties at FC St. Pauli) and 1. FC Kaiserslautern (3:1 at Hertha BSC) already met last week as two second division teams and the actual outsiders of the duels qualified for the semi-finals. So it’s no wonder that Stuttgart’s coach Sebastian Hoeness states: “The constellation is incredibly attractive.”
In Leverkusen, the coach is now looking a little further ahead: “It will be a top week for us,” said Xabi Alonso, alluding to the upcoming Bundesliga clash on Saturday against second-placed FC Bayern Munich.
Although the two most important games in the club’s recent history are coming up for Leverkusen within just five days, the Basque remains demonstratively calm and announces: “We are used to having English weeks and have done well so far. After Tuesday we still have enough time to prepare for Saturday.” His team “doesn’t feel any more pressure than usual this week.”
Alsonso and the longing for a title
You don’t really want to believe Alonso, because for Leverkusen, who have been waiting for a title since winning the cup in 1993, a repeat of this coup 21 years later would have a special signal effect – and would satisfy a decades-long longing.
Alonso then admits that his players already have this great “desire” to finally win something – and in the end he outlines the supposedly easiest way to do this: “In the cup it is the shortest way, there are only two games to the final .»
However, Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness also knows this, whose team is brimming with self-confidence after a 5-2 win against Leipzig and a 3-1 win at SC Freiburg last weekend.
Stuttgart’s coach sees “incredible importance”
Although things are currently going brilliantly in the Bundesliga and the long-time relegation candidate from Swabia has a clear focus on participating in the European Cup thanks to a twelve-point lead in seventh place, Hoeness attaches “incredible importance” to the cup clash in Leverkusen.
Accordingly, he is not deterred by the fact that Leverkusen are still unbeaten this season. Bayer is the favorite, but “it’s a game. That’s what makes it so attractive. The chances aren’t huge now, but there will be some,” said Hoeness
He should also be hopeful that the player who has so far stood out in exploiting opportunities at VfB is probably back in the squad: striker Serhou Guirassy. The Guinean was eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations in the quarter-finals with his national team and is back in Stuttgart.
His appearance in the cup game is still unclear – due to a delayed return journey and slight gastrointestinal problems. “We will check him out and then decide,” explained Hoeness and underlined: “We will not get him into anything if the risk is too great.”
Ito is available to Stuttgart again
Defender Hiroki Ito will be a permanent fixture in the squad. After his quarter-final exit with the Japanese national team at the Asian Cup, he can concentrate fully on his performance at the club again.
“He makes a good impression, but he played in the Asian Cup and had a longer journey back. I can’t say yet whether he will start,” said the coach. The decision will be made on Tuesday, but Ito is “definitely an option.”
Sources used:
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quelle: epa/efe / kiko huesca
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