UEFA Champions League Competition - VfB manager Hoeneß expresses desire to encounter Real and Guardiola
Sebastian Hoeneß, the manager of VfB Stuttgart, is pretty excited about facing off against Real Madrid and Manchester City in the upcoming Champions League. During an interview with the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" (Saturday), he said, "Playing at Real Madrid is just, like, a legend in the making. It's just a big deal, no bullshit."
Having had the opportunity to chat with Pep Guardiola during his time in the FC Bayern Munich youth set-up, Hoeneß has some personal and special feelings about facing him and Manchester City. "I learned a lot from Pep, so a match against him would be, like, super personal and exciting. But it'll also be a real challenge," he added, as Guardiola coached Munich from 2013 to 2016 before moving to England, where he led City to Champions League victory in 2023.
The Champions League pairings will be drawn next Thursday. Switching things up, each of the 36 teams will now play eight preliminary round matches - four at home, four away. VfB made a surprise run to the German vice-champion spot last year, a year after coming close to relegation from the Bundesliga.
Hoeneß is looking forward to the extra pressure coming with the Champions League, but he's also showing respect for it. "You play more often and have to deal with much more intense stress. It really matters if you hit the sack at 10 PM or 3 AM," the 42-year-old coach explained.
VfB will be training less and focusing more on recovery, Hoeneß confirmed. "But I'm pretty sure we'll pull through. We wanted to test ourselves against the best, and now we finally have the chance to do so."
Sebastian mentioned his love for soccer during his interview, expressing his excitement to face off against Manchester City in the Champions League, as he had learned a lot from Pep Guardiola during their time together in Bayern Munich's youth set-up.
Despite the challenge, Hoeneß expressed his eagerness to play soccer against top-tier teams like Manchester City, considering it an opportunity to test VfB Stuttgart's capabilities in the prestigious Champions League.
