Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling remain unavailable for Sunday’s visit to 1. FC Heidenheim because of muscle injuries, but VfB boss Sebastian Hoeneß issued a more positive update on Ameen al-Dakhil on Friday afternoon. “Ameen will play for the Under-21s on Saturday,” he said. “He needs game time and will try and help them pick up points from a tough game against BVB II.”
Atakan Karazor was forced off at half-time in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League win over Young Boys with a stomach bug, but the skipper is set to return this weekend.
“An opportunity to continue our run”
After watching his side lose 2-0 away and play out a 3-3 draw at home to Heidenheim last season, Hoeneß wants to see “a different performance with a different outcome” on Sunday. “Heidenheim are strong at home,” he continued. “They have great spirit and fight. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”
The key to Heidenheim’s recent success, according to Hoeneß, is their togetherness and continuity. “Heidenheim have been operating consistently as a club for years. In Frank Schmidt, they have a coach who sets the tone. It’s going to be a difficult task.”
That being the case, the VfB boss regards Sunday’s contest as an opportunity to “continue our good run in the Bundesliga”, adding: “To do that, we’ll have to give everything we’ve got and have our wits about us. We began our preparations in earnest today, and tomorrow we’ll come up with a plan.”
VfB to discover last-eight opponents
During the first half of Sunday’s game (15:45 CET), VfB will discover their opponents in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup, which will be held in February 2025. While Hoeneß isn’t hoping to be paired with anyone in particular, he would love the tie to be at the MHP Arena. “I’d like to play at home,” he admitted. “Other than that, we’ll take what we’re given.”
The other teams in the hat for the last eight are Bundesliga sides Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Werder Bremen, VfL Wolfsburg, RB Leipzig and FC Augsburg, Bundesliga 2 outfit 1. FC Köln and third-division Arminia Bielefeld.