While it is hoped that Angelo Stiller, Deniz Undav and Enzo Millot will be available for the game against VfL Bochum, Stuttgart has received the next piece of bad news: El Bilal Touré had to leave the international match against Eswatini prematurely due to injury.
Stuttgart have been largely spared injury luck this season. Now the traditional club of 1893 has been hit really hard. After Jamie Leweling, Deniz Undav, Angelo Stiller (all hamstrings) and Enzo Millot (knee problems), it has now hit El Bilal Touré.
The striker had to leave the field injured before half-time in Mali’s 6-0 win over Eswatini in the African Championship qualifier. An exact diagnosis has not yet been made. However, it is feared that the attacker, who had previously scored the opening goal for his team and was also increasingly coming to the fore at VfB, will be out of action.
On the other hand, another is pushing more and more into the team of the vice-champion after his injury break. Stuttgart paid around 7.5 million euros for Ameen Al-Dakhil. A lot of money for the central defender from Burnley, who has been out since the beginning of the year. Nevertheless, a valuable investment in the eyes of the Swabians. In the future, which has not yet begun, but could possibly start against Bochum if it is up to the player.
The Belgian with Iraqi roots passed the latest test after his protracted hip injury. He played the entire 90 minutes in the international match against Israel (0:1). The 22-year-old told the club’s TV channel that the game “felt very good.” “I was out for a long time. Now everything is fine again. I’ve worked long and hard for my comeback, and I really missed playing football. Now I’m back,” said the defender.
Al-Dakhil brings plenty of pace
Al-Dakhil played on the right defensive wing for his second home. At VfB, the 22-year-old is expected to play on the right in central defense. Anthony Rouault, who has so far filled the vacant position of the departed captain Waldemar Anton with mixed results, would then have to make way. The Frenchman has been weak recently. He also lacks one thing in particular that Al-Dakhil has plenty of: pace, which will be especially important against the fast VfL attacks.
Nick Woltemade, who was a driving force in the hapless chase for the 2-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt, is also hoping for his first appearance in the starting lineup and more playing time. Especially since Millot, who is eligible for the position behind the top, would be pulled back to the six in the event of Stiller’s absence, and Undav is also not yet in top form.
Ultimately, after Leweling will be out for a little longer, the hope is that all three will recover in time. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß will consider very carefully which of them will start in the end. With Bochum, VfB is entering the first of eight competitive games in 29 days. A slip-up against the bottom team in the table is to be avoided at all costs if they don’t want to turn a crisis of results into a major emergency. However, the risk of further or additional absences does not make the decision-making any easier.