VfB Stuttgart vs Koln preview - Stoger out to avoid defeat
Posted Saturday, August 30, 2014 by PA
Cologne coach Peter Stoger is hoping his side will still be able to boast an unbeaten record in the Bundesliga after this weekend.
The Austrian coach takes his team to Stuttgart on Saturday, looking to build on the 0-0 draw with Hamburg on the opening day of the season.
"You have new problems every week in the Bundesliga and our aim now is to get through the Stuttgart game by remaining unbeaten," he said.
"We watched Stuttgart play at Borussia Monchengladbach (in a 1-1 draw) and they were particularly strong in the first half.
"It's going to be a tough task, but we believe that we've seen things we can exploit."
Stoger also feels his side can improve on their goalless opener.
"We still had some problems in turning defence into attack," he said. "As a result, we didn't find much room and that's something that's got to work better against Stuttgart."
One man bidding to halt them in their tracks is Oriol Romeu.
The defensive midfielder has already won over the Stuttgart fans and their coach Armin Veh.
"Romeu is a playmaker, a really good footballer," he said in the Bild newspaper. "He's comfortable on the ball and also has a certain degree of aggression in his game."
Those are the qualities Veh needs in the on-loan Chelsea midfielder, particularly against the Billy Goats this weekend.
The league newcomers showed against Hamburg that they are not in the top flight to make up the numbers and they arrive in Baden-Wurttemberg with around 4,000 fans backing them.
All positive signs for Stoger, who believes his side are "heading in the right direction".
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