From an away victory at the Italian record champions to a home game against the newly promoted team. This may look easy on paper but is anything but. Yet it’s also an opportunity.
The victory on Tuesday evening still lingers in my mind. At least in mine. Hopefully not in the minds of the players, because the mental approach required to face a winless promoted team in a home game should not be underestimated. Of course, the atmosphere in the Neckarstadion will be just as lively as it was in the away section of the Juventus Stadium. But Kiel cannot afford a careless performance like Juventus did, not least because their defensive quality and especially their goalkeeper are not comparable to those of the Turin team. Where the Italian side relied on its quality, Kiel will undoubtedly put a lot of fighting spirit on the line.
And yet I believe that this won’t be enough if the team manages to get as fired up for this match as they were for the Champions League highlight. The rotation announced by Sebastian Hoeneß will certainly help motivate substitute players to fight for a starting spot, and at the same time, players who played in Turin will draw strength and confidence from that match. This brings us to the
Personnel situation
The biggest news from Friday’s press conference was that Angelo Stiller broke his finger and will play against Kiel with a splint. Chris Führich is back in the squad, while Niko Nartey and Ameen Al-Dakhil will play for the second team against Aue on Sunday. Additionally, the long-term injured players are, of course, still out.
Possible Starting Lineup
Rouault may get a rest, and Chase, after several substitutions, might get a place in the starting lineup. Up front, there is still the most potential for rotation. Leweling, due to his involvement in international games, has logged a lot of minutes lately, so Führich could bring speed off the bench towards the end. Touré is likely to start, and Millot may be spared a bit depending on the course of the game, especially with Tuesday’s match against Kaiserslautern in mind.
Statistics
This will be only the fifth time the two clubs face each other. In the last second division season, VfB notoriously lost both matches in exasperating ways, with the only victory against Kiel celebrated in the 2015 cup. Holstein Kiel is currently second from last with only two points, one of which was, impressively, against Leverkusen. They have also conceded the most goals in the league and, alongside VfL Bochum, are still winless. Additionally, they have allowed the most shots on goal so far this season, with 48, and their goalkeeper, Timo Weiner, also ranks poorly in league comparisons, with a post-shot xG difference of nearly ‑5. Four of their nine goals have been scored by Shuto Machino. Offensively, they rely primarily on crosses into the penalty area, placing them sixth in the league for crosses. When it comes to sprints and intense runs, Kiel is, as expected, among the top teams.
Conclusion
As stated above, and unfortunately already mentioned to other players: VfB needs to bring both its quality and the right mindset to the pitch. If they do, this game and the upcoming cup match against second-division team Kaiserslautern could give them a real mental boost ahead of the two matches against last season’s Europa League finalists Leverkusen and Bergamo. On the other hand, they can hardly afford to drop points in this game because, as described, it won’t get any easier in the coming weeks. I don’t expect a spectacle against Kiel, but focus and three points should be achievable.
Picture: © Stuart Franklin/Getty Images