Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart meet in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup, the winner is automatically favorite for the title.
When Xabi Alonso wasn’t yet working as a coach and was still playing football himself, he trained under Pep Guardiola in Munich for two years. They were successful, together they became champions twice and DFB Cup winners once. They just didn’t win the Champions League. “His time here will be one to remember,” said the player Alonso about the coach Guardiola. A lot of things actually remained in my memories, the football, the titles, but also the crushes. Guardiola liked to praise. He praised his players, often saying they were “great, great, great,” but he also praised the opponents.
Live ticker, Tuesday from 8:45 p.m.: Leverkusen – Stuttgart arrow right quarter-finals arrow right
The footballer Xabi Alonso has now become a coach, a successful coach. He also likes to praise, but there are differences to Guardiola. Alonso hasn’t made gushing his daily task. But VfB Stuttgart, the opponent in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup on Tuesday evening (February 6, 2024, from 8:15 p.m. in the live stream, in the live ticker and from 8:35 p.m. in the full audio report) has already impressed him.
Stuttgart, Leverkusen and one thing in common: they don’t like destroying
“I really like the way Stuttgart plays,” said Alonso. Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß also plays possession football; their preferences only differ in nuances. But one thing unites the coaches Alonso and Hoeneß, and it also unites their teams: they don’t like to destroy.
Both teams have already met once this season. In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart and Leverkusen drew 1-1 (1-0) in December. There were moments in this game when there was a lot to be said for a Leverkusen defeat, especially before the break. But Alonso’s team didn’t lose, they haven’t lost a competitive game this season. Leverkusen could become champions this season because of that, that would be a story.
Leverkusen’s reunion with Stuttgart, this time in the DFB Cup
And now the reunion in the DFB Cup. It is the duel between two teams at the peak of their career, a final in the quarter-finals. The winner of this game is also the favorite for the title. It’s like this: Bayern are out, BVB and Leipzig are no longer there either. The second division teams 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Fortuna Düsseldorf have so far qualified for the semi-finals, and 1. FC Saarbrücken and Borussia Mönchengladbach will also determine a participant on Wednesday.
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Guirassy return uncertain
“The players have this desire to win something. The cup is the short way and we are only two games away from the final,” said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso. “It’s a nice chance to reach the semi-finals. And we are very, very motivated.”
But winning titles has not been a Leverkusen specialty so far. The club won the UEFA Cup once, in the 1987/88 season. Five years later, Leverkusen won the DFB Cup, which remains their last title to this day. Since then, Bayer has sometimes come second, and at some point they secured the brand name “Vizekusen”.
VfB Stuttgart has won a few titles, the championship five times and the cup three times, but that was a long time ago. Last season the club was almost relegated from the Bundesliga, but only escaped relegation. And so the Swabians, currently third in the table, face Leverkusen in the cup as supposed outsiders. Of course Leverkusen is the favourite, says coach Hoeneß. “But it’s a game.”
He can rely on defender Anthony Rouault, even though he suffered a broken nose. Maxi Mittelstädt and Chris Führich are also fit for action, said Hoeneß. He called Hiroki Ito “an option” after his return from the Asian Cup.
Serhou Guirassy, who recently competed with Guinea at the Africa Cup of Nations, would certainly be more than one option – if he gets fit. The tournament is over for Guirassy and Guinea, but now the top scorer (19 goals in 16 competitive games for Stuttgart this season) is sick and his stomach is affected. “We have to wait and see,” said coach Sebastian Hoeneß about the Africa Cup returnees. “This is not a game of hide-and-seek, but our responsibility to the player.”
Wirtz says: “We want to get to the final everywhere”
In Leverkusen they will be following this with some interest. A fit Guirassy would not make the job easier for coach Alonso’s defense. He will probably only change his team slightly. For Nathan Tella, the celebrated hero in the win against Darmstadt at the weekend with a brace, Jeremie Frimpong should start again on the right side. Patrik Schick could start again in the attack, and Florian Wirtz should also feed him with assists. Wirtz, 20, always plays and Alonso doesn’t want to do without him.
Recently, it has sometimes been pointed out to Wirtz that he could win three titles with Leverkusen this season, the Bundesliga championship, the Europa League and the DFB Cup. He said: “We want to get to the final everywhere.”
