VfL Bochum has three games in eight days ahead of it. But for now, the only thing that matters is the battle against another bottom-of-the-table team in Fürth, says the VfL coach ahead of the match.

VfL Bochum is facing a busy week and must manage the balancing act of climbing out of the basement of the league standings while also holding its own against VfB Stuttgart in the DFB Cup.

First up is perhaps the most important match of the coming days. On Saturday (1:00 p.m.), Coach Uwe Rösler’s team must travel to SpVgg Greuther Fürth—1,570 Bochum fans are set to make the trip south so far. Tickets are still available for the visitors’ section.

The 15th-place team hosts the 14th-place team. Following the home loss to Dynamo Dresden, this is a chance to make a statement right away at the bottom of the table.

Next up is a DFB Cup match against VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday, followed three days later by Arminia Bielefeld’s visit to Bochum. But for now, the focus is solely on Fürth; Rösler will be without Matus Bero (who is expected to return to training next week), Ibrahim Sissoko, and Kevin Vogt. On the other hand, Leandro Morgalla returns to the squad—and likely the starting lineup—after serving his yellow-card suspension.

Ahead of the 90 minutes in Fürth, Rösler emphasizes: “The first game of this three-game stretch is the most important. We have to field a competitive team to win. In the league, there are no easier or harder matches. Every game is 50-50.”

The coach left it completely open as to whether and how he’ll rotate the lineup afterward. “I haven’t even thought about Bielefeld yet. I have an idea of what we can do against Stuttgart. First, we have to get through the game in Fürth. We have more depth, but not all players are at their peak yet. Not all players are ready to play three games in eight days yet.“

Unlike in Dresden, there might already be changes to the starting lineup in Fürth. But one thing is important to Rösler: ”We have healthy competition. If we make substitutions, it’s not because players have disappointed me or are out of form. We’re trying to put the strongest team on the field.”

Koji Miyoshi could be part of that lineup; the coach praised him: “I think he’s developing very well. He’s gotten better week by week. You can see his quality on the ball; he gives us several options—as a playmaker, in the half-spaces, on the wings. He’s an intelligent player—even when he doesn’t have the ball. Good positioning, good movement, good at initiating pressure—I like him and he’ll definitely see playing time.”