FC Bayern's stumbling block is now Hoeneß

Sebastian Hoeneß has achieved amazing things this season: He has turned relegation candidates VfB Stuttgart into a team that can no longer be displaced from the top flight of the Bundesliga. Now it's time for a highly exciting duel with FC Bayern.

Dieter Hoeneß is caught between two stools and is trying to be as diplomatic as possible. He wants FC Bayern, the club that his brother Uli turned into a global brand, to win the league title next summer. On the other hand, he wishes VfB Stuttgart, which his son Sebastian is currently helping to achieve astonishing greatness, victory on Sunday in the Bundesliga top match (7.30 pm on DAZN and in the live ticker on ntv.de). The Swabians' resurgence is the biggest sporting story of the season, along with that of the still unbeaten Leverkusen, who are top of the table and can extend their lead over Munich.

That is, if the Werkself win their home game against the enigmatic Eintracht from Frankfurt (on Sunday, starting at 5.30 pm). The Hessians thrashed FC Bayern in furious fashion last weekend, sending them into a wild week with a 5-1 defeat, which the Munich side countered with a top performance in the Champions League against Manchester United to take away any momentum from the emerging talk of a crisis. "It was fun," said coach Thomas Tuchel. He was very pleased with the reaction to the defeat. "That was at the highest level from a team perspective. It was our best game in the group stage." He praised the energy and concentration.

And so both teams will go into this clash, which will not only interest soccer fans in Germany, but also national coach Julian Nagelsmann in particular. Not only will he be able to see his established players once again under the stress of a top match, but he will also be able to cast the potential "newcomers" for the DFB team.

A giants' duel as a reward

And the list of players who could help Germany on the road to the summer fairytale has grown longer and longer in recent weeks. There is, for example, defensive boss Waldemar Anton, full-back Maxi Mittelstädt and driving forward Chris Führich. And, of course, striker Deniz Undav. Goalkeeper Alexander Nübel and midfielder Angelo Stiller are unlikely to play a role for the time being in view of the great competition in the DFB team. But who knows what Nagelsmann is planning. But the national coach and his plans will be the least of the issues when it comes to the Hoeneß festivities in the Allianz Arena, which has been cleared of snow again.

For VfB Stuttgart, this pre-Christmas clash and its significance for the Bundesliga is a reward for a tremendous first half of the season that nobody could have expected. The fact that the visitors could overtake the record champions with a win would be the best present imaginable. And Dieter Hoeneß, the man between two stools, thinks: "You can trust VfB to do anything at the moment." Including the big coup in Munich. The all-clear must be given, but the family's blessing does not depend on the result of the game. "You look at it all in sporting terms. If Uli wants it for anyone, it's Sebastian." Meanwhile, the 41-year-old has refrained from making any grand declarations of war on his uncle ahead of this "special game" for him.

Hoeneß took over the crisis-hit club in April, helped them to stay in the league and is suddenly the coach of a top team. Last weekend's 1:1 draw against Leverkusen and the 2:0 cup win against BVB impressively showed that they can compete at the highest level. Does that also apply to the coach? Bayern boss Jan-Christian Dreesen said at the beginning of October about the possible return of Hoeneß, who led the Munich reserves to the third division title in 2020: "We are monitoring his development. We'll see what the future brings: Why not at some point! In the long term, you can never rule something like that out." Hoeneß himself told DAZN: "I certainly won't rule anything out, but it's not an issue for me at the moment and I don't think it's appropriate to talk about it in concrete terms."

Striker duel euphorizes Matthäus

Stuttgart have impressed this season with a stable defense, plenty of enthusiasm and an impressive coolness in front of goal. Serhou Guirassy in particular, who once failed to find his feet at 1. FC Köln and has now matured into the league's biggest attacking attraction, hand in hand with FC Bayern's super striker Harry Kane. One person in particular is looking forward to the showdown between the two giants: Lothar Matthäus. He is already gushing before kick-off. Kane is more of a leader. "He's incredibly present and has an influence on his teammates. Guirassy is more focused on himself, but the fact that he scores so many goals and is so important for the team means that his teammates really appreciate him," emphasized the 1990 World Cup captain, who is now the nation's expert.

The VfB goalscorer, Matthäus continued enthusiastically, is "physically stronger and faster. I would have hated to play against him in the past. But Kane has excellent running and experience at the very highest level. It would be an insult to say that one of them is better at the moment. That would be unfair. You'd need a bit of both, then you'd have the perfect striker." They are different types of striker. But what they have in common, according to Matthäus: "They score a lot of goals and they're not just penalty-area strikers. Neither of them are attackers who just stand in front and wait for balls. They try to play and also break away from their opponents."

VfB must fear Guirassy's departure

Kane, who was released by Tottenham Hotspur in the summer after a tough tussle, is one of the reasons why FC Bayern have come through the preliminary round of the Champions League with six wins in six games and are still fully involved in the title duel with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga (four points and one game behind at present). He was the constant in a first half of the season in which Munich were never really able to settle down in and around the club. When the defense slipped up again, when there were uninhibited discussions in midfield about the right line-up for the back six and the role of Thomas Müller, the center forward was the place of no debate. Kane remained Kane. And therefore world class.

The record champions will not be strengthening their forward line during the winter break, that much seems certain. What is not so certain, however, is whether Stuttgart may need to add to their ranks. There are wild rumors about Guirassy, Newcastle and Manchester United are said to be urgently interested. BVB were also briefly rumored, before sporting director Sebastian Kehl amusedly denied it on Wednesday evening. Which could of course also be part of a poker game. The problem for Stuttgart is that the man from Guinea will not only be absent for a few weeks due to his participation in the Africa Cup, he can also leave the club in the winter for just under 20 million euros. As the newspaper "Bild" reports, attempts by VfB to buy out the striker's exit clause have failed.

But now for the top match. The "little" Hoeneß against the empire of the "big" Hoeneß and a final greeting before kick-off from the chief diplomat between the chairs: "Anything is possible. On the one hand, VfB have proven this season that they can hold their own against anyone. On the other hand, we know that FC Bayern is very difficult to beat on a good day."