VfB have repeatedly come up against Bundesliga 2 teams in the DFB Cup this season. After beating Münster 5-0 in the first round, Hoeneß’s side triumphed 2-1 against Kaiserslautern in round two and now face SSV Jahn Regensburg in the last 16 on Tuesday evening (3 December, 18:00 CET). The Cannstatt lads travel to Bavaria with a clear objective.
“We want to stay in the DFB Cup over the winter,” said Hoeneß. “Looking at the second-division table is no help whatsoever, but we’re focusing on our game plan and how to overcome this hurdle with great motivation and energy.”
Fabian Bredlow in goal, Justin Diehl fully fit
“We’re going to field a team that is most likely to win the game,” continued the VfB boss, who was only willing to confirm that Fabian Bredlow will continue in goal. “He did very well in our last cup game against Kaiserslautern, he’s generally a very reliable keeper and it gives Alexander Nübel the chance to have a little bit of a break.”
There was more good news on the personnel front, with Justin Diel – who made a brief cameo at Werder Bremen at the weekend – available again for the trip to the second tier’s bottom side after recovering from a cold. Ameen Al-Dakhil (flu symptoms) is unlikely to feature in Regensburg, while the game also comes too soon for Jamie Leweling and Luca Raimund (both thigh issues). El Bilal, who has undergone successful surgery on a broken metatarsal, remains sidelined, as do Deniz Undav (thigh) and Dan-Axel Zagadou (knee).