After reaching the last 16 of the DFB Cup with revenge over Hamburger SV, Tim Walter’s side are eager to return to winning ways in Bundesliga 2 on Sunday (kick-off 13:30 CET) when they take on Dynamo Dresden in front of around 55,000 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
The Cannstatt boys won 2-1 at the Volksparkstadion after extra time on Tuesday evening, and the Stuttgart head coach has called on his side to summon the same levels of commitment and bravery this weekend as they go in search of a fifth home win of the season. “It’s about getting the basics right,” Walter told Thursday’s pre-match press conference. “We did those exceptionally well on Tuesday and need to do the same again on Sunday.”
“We also had to play 120 minutes”
Dresden were beaten 5-4 on penalties at Hertha Berlin in their second-round cup tie on Wednesday evening following a 3-3 draw after extra time, but Walter does not expect the teams’ midweek cup exertions to have any bearing on the outcome of Sunday’s game. “They’ll be feeling the effects of Wednesday’s tie to a certain extent,” he said. “But it was no different for us on Tuesday. We also had to play 120 minutes.”
Walter has no new injury problems to contend with despite that energy-sapping victory at HSV. Holger Badstuber is suspended following his red card against Holstein Kiel, but the VfB boss stopped short of revealing who will replace the 30-year-old in central defence. “We know how much stability Holger brings to our game,” said the 43-year-old. “But in Bobo Awoudja and Nat Phillips, we have two defenders who have the quality to fill in for him.”