Initial Stage of the DFB Pokal Cup - VfB anticipates a swift recuperation in the knockout stage.
Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeneß views the initial DFB-Pokal clash versus Preußen Münster as a chance to swiftly rectify their league stumbles. "There's potential to shift some things towards the positive," he stated prior to the encounter with the second-division rookies on Tuesday (8:45 PM/ARD). They plan to utilize this fixture to improve their form heading into the upcoming fortnight.
Following a narrow Supercup loss to Bayer Leverkusen and a 1-3 league setback in Freiburg, Stuttgart have had a rocky start. Münster, too, have struggled in the second division, securing merely one point from their opening three matches. Nevertheless, Hoeneß anticipates a challenging encounter, describing it as "not particularly elegant". The excitement in Westphalia remains high after their promotion, but "there certainly were more appealing opponents awaiting".
Hoeneß is set to award a starting berth to 20-year-old defender Anrie Chase. Making his mark as a substitute in Freiburg, Chase will now lead Stuttgart's still thinning defense. Meanwhile, national striker Deniz Undav, who joined training late and is yet to fully recuperate, will begin this game on the bench.
Hoeneß mentioned that using the DFB-Pokal as a platform, they aim to enhance their compensation for the recent league stumbles. With Deniz Undav still recovering and not ready for full action, the manager will rely on Anrie Chase to compensate for the defense's weaknesses.
