VfB Stuttgart Faces Travel Disruption Ahead of Europa league Clash with Go Ahead Eagles Deventer
Deventer, Netherlands – vfb Stuttgart arrived in Deventer significantly later than scheduled on Wednesday evening ahead of their UEFA Europa League match against Go Ahead Eagles, following an unexpected diversion. Heavy fog at Lelystad Airport, approximately 80 kilometers from Deventer, prevented the VfB plane from landing, forcing it to reroute to Rotterdam. The team then completed the remaining 150 kilometers by bus.
Head Coach Sebastian Hoeneß downplayed the travel disruption, stating, “it’s nothing dramatic, we’re fine, we’re just arriving later than planned.” Due to the delayed arrival, the scheduled press conference was cancelled, replaced by a telephone call with journalists organized by the club in consultation with UEFA.
Hoeneß emphasized the importance of Thursday’s match, kicking off at 9 p.m. and broadcast live on RTL,VfB Radio (VfB Radio) and the VfB live ticker (VfB live ticker). “We have the chance to set the course,” he said, noting that VfB has collected six points from the first four games of the league phase. “Our goal is to move forward – and we can take an crucial step towards this in Deventer.” Currently 20th in the Europa League standings, Stuttgart aims to climb into the top eight for direct qualification to the round of 16, or at least secure a playoff spot (9th-24th).
Hoeneß acknowledged the challenge posed by Go Ahead Eagles deventer, who currently sit just one place behind VfB in the Europa League table. ”We can expect a tough game,” he stated. “It’s something remarkable for deventer to be in this competition - and that’s how thay accept it: The team plays courageously, with heart and has, for example, already defeated Aston Villa and won in the domestic league against Feyenoord Rotterdam * (each 2:1, Anm. d. Red.)*.” He also highlighted the passionate atmosphere within the stadium, which holds around 10,000 fans. “We want to bring our idea to the pitch, but we also know what the opponent can do,” Hoeneß explained. “In the best case scenario, we are able to control the encounter in most phases of the game.”
VfB will be without three players for the match. Defender Dan-Axel Zagadou sustained a important muscle injury during final training and remains in Stuttgart for further examination. Offensive player Tiago tomás is also unavailable due to an ongoing muscle injury. Additionally, offensive player Noah Darvich did not travel to Deventer, instead opting to gain match experience with the VfB U21 team in a 3rd league fixture this weekend.
