With only five points, SpVgg are bottom of the table. Nevertheless, they take heart from the recent trend and want to start the new year on a positive note against VfB Stuttgart.
In the pouring rain, SpVgg prepared for their second-round opener against VfB Stuttgart on Tuesday afternoon. The mood was calm, motivated and focused, said goalkeeper Sascha Burchert afterwards. Cautiously optimistic, he could have added. Although the memory of the disillusioning 1:5 at the start of the season at the Swabians has not faded, the starting position before the reunion on Saturday is nevertheless different.
First of all, the starting line-up of the cloverleaf is likely to be changed in at least five positions compared to August: Gideon Jung is still behind in training after his knee surgery, Justin Hoogma is in domestic isolation after a positive Corona test. Nils Seufert is now playing for SV Sandhausen, Julian Green and Luca Itter were recently reserves. For the latter, Jetro Willems has established himself as a left-back. The Dutchman was absent from training at the beginning of the week due to private matters, but should be back in time.
Viergever’s comeback should give the defence even more stability
Only on the bench in the 1:5 defeat was Timothy Tillman, who turned into a positive surprise in the squad during the first half. The same goes for Jamie Leweling, then substituted and the only goal scorer. Nick Viergever was only signed after that. The Dutch defender only played seven times in the first half of the season, and on 30 October he injured his ankle in the 3-1 defeat in Freiburg and has been absent ever since. His comeback should bring even more compactness to the already stable Fürth defence.
As a reminder: In the two most recent home games before the short winter break, coach Stefan Leitl’s team remained without conceding a goal, winning 1-0 against Union Berlin and picking up a point against FC Augsburg (0-0). In addition, the home team has always been victorious in the most recent competitive duels between Fürth and VfB. None of this is a guarantee for the next success, but it is certainly an encouragement for such a success.
