Sebastian Hoeneß: ‘We’re travelling to Leverkusen feeling good and motivated’

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Stuttgart travel to Leverkusen for their first Bundesliga game of 2026, with Sebastian Hoeneß’s side sitting three points behind their opponents. Speaking at Thursday’s press conference, VfB’s head coach covered a vast array of topics.

Participating in three competitions means it’s a busy January-February for the Swabians with nine matches in 29 days. “It’s certainly going to be demanding and intensive, but the fact we have so many games shows that we are involved in all three competitions, which is a good sign,” said Hoeneß.

Both previous encounters against Bayer Leverkusen ended in draws (2-2 and 0-0), but Hoeneß is confident heading into this weekend’s meeting.

“We’re travelling to Leverkusen feeling good and motivated,” he added. “We’re not too far from them in the table, fancy our chances and want to get off to a good start.

“Kasper Hjulmand has formed a good team with strong individual players. They’re in a good position in all competitions.”

Stuttgart’s personnel situation

However, VfB will have to do without Bilal El Khannouss, who remains on international duty with Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations. Finn Jeltsch is also a doubt with a back injury while fellow defender Ameen Al-Dakhil is also out due to illness.

There is positive news, though, with Ermedin Demirović returning after suffering a broken metatarsal in October. The Bosnian forward featured in Stuttgart’s solo winter friendly ahead of the Bundesliga’s resumption, and could feature at some point against Leverkusen.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder