Hoeneß guarantees starts for both Undav and Guirassy

VfB Stuttgart trainer Sebastian Hoeneß saw no reason to hide his plans for building his attack during his Thursday pre-match presser. 

Ahead of a clash with SV Werder Bremen this coming Saturday, VfB Stuttgart trainer Sebastian Hoeneß was surprisingly forthcoming in his plans for his starting XI at a Thursday presser. Asked whether the returning Serhou Guirassy or Deniz Undav will start against the Hanseaten, Hoeneß first joked that “neither one of them” would. After the laughter in the press room died down, the VfB trainer got candid.

“No need to make a secret of it,” Hoeneß continued, “They will both be in the starting XI. Serhou was before and Deniz is now in outstanding form. I’ve revealed which two players will play. I need say no more. My counterpart Ole [Werner] can think about that all he likes. I’m looking forward to the Undav-Guirassy duo.”

The prolific scoring duo will feature together in the starting lineup for the first time this season. In previous instances during which Undav has remained on the pitch after Guirassy was introduced as a sub, the German has generally played behind the Frenchman. A two-striker set can nevertheless not be ruled out. Neither could a potential deployment of Undav on one of the wings, particularly with Chris Führich struggling.

Hoeneß provided mostly positive news on the status of two other starters battling injuries ahead of the weekend encounter. Midfielder Angelo Stiller (muscular problems) and keeper Alexander Nübel (recovering from a cold) were both able to join in on Thursday’s training session. The VfB trainer declared himself “optimistic” that both would be ready for Saturday.

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