After two away games, VfB finally gets to play a Europa League match at home again. And with Feyenoord Rotterdam, an old acquaintance comes to visit.
Admittedly, my initial euphoria might have been a little over the top. Now, after two defeats on the road, we’re already somewhat backed into a corner. Though to be fair, those losses were quite unnecessary. In Basel, we could easily have taken all three points, but we stood in our own way. On the Bosporus, we held our own against a star-studded side and definitely would have deserved at least a draw. So instead of sitting on four to seven points, we’re still stuck with three. That’s obviously not a great position to be in — but let’s not forget: PSG were below the line for a long time in last season’s Champions League and ended up steamrolling everyone (sadly, including us).
Whether the match against Rotterdam marks the start of a turnaround is doubtful. Feyenoord is an experienced European side and currently sits atop the Dutch league. Their fans are considered “old-school” supporters — not organized, but loud and very passionate. Even the mighty Bayern Munich once lost 3–0 at Rotterdam’s fortress, De Kuip.
Unfortunately, they’re also notorious for outbreaks of violence. After the Conference League match against Union Berlin, the “Eisernen” reported fireworks being thrown in their direction by Feyenoord supporters (incidentally, VfB fans reported the same after the 2019 relegation playoff — but when Union does it, it’s somehow considered “edgy”). So it’s no surprise that Thursday night’s game has been classified as a high-risk match.
Squad News
All registered players are available for selection. Only Ramon Hendriks remains slightly doubtful.
Possible Starting Lineup
I expect a more defensive setup, with Karazor starting instead of Chema. In central defense, Hendriks could replace Jeltsch — or both might start, with Chabot taking a seat on the bench.
Statistics
VfB Stuttgart versus Feyenoord Rotterdam is practically a classic. No other club has VfB faced more often in international competition than the Rotterdam side. Likewise, for Feyenoord, Stuttgart is a familiar opponent — only Standard Liège have they played more frequently. In general, Feyenoord are well accustomed to facing German teams; they’ve played more matches against German sides than against any other nation’s clubs.
The record against the two-time UEFA Cup winners is even. In eight meetings, both teams have won three times and drawn twice. The last encounter dates quite a while back — December 2000, when Feyenoord visited the Neckarstadion and lost 1–2 in front of 15,000 spectators. A certain Krassimir Balakov scored the winner for the Swabians in the 90th minute, sending us into the round of 16 — where we were then knocked out by Celta Vigo. Rotterdam, meanwhile, exited in Stuttgart but went on to win the UEFA Cup the following year with a 3–2 victory over Dortmund. The third goal, making it 3–1 at the time, was scored by none other than Jon Dahl Tomasson.
Conclusion
A tough home match awaits us against an opponent in top form. While I remain optimistic about our Europa League campaign overall, I don’t expect the big comeback to start against Feyenoord. If we come away with a point, I think we can be satisfied.
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