If there is a miracle, VfL Bochum will celebrate. If there is the expected relegation, VfL will have to reorganize. That’s what Kevin Stöger says ahead of the second leg at Fortuna Düsseldorf.

VfL Bochum face one of the most difficult challenges in the club’s history on Monday (20:30). After the 0:3 in the relegation first leg at home against Fortuna Düsseldorf, a soccer miracle is needed to avoid relegation to Bundesliga 2.

After the shock on Thursday, it took some time for the players and managers to regroup. VfL midfielder Kevin Stöger admits that openly. “We imagined everything differently. We wanted to travel to Düsseldorf with a positive feeling. But with every goal we conceded, our chances of staying in the league got smaller. The atmosphere after the 0:3 was extremely strange, you could hardly say anything positive about the game.”

But as in life, time heals all wounds, just like in sport. And even if belief is probably still somewhat limited at the moment, a little faith still exists.

Stöger: “With every hour that passes, the energy becomes a little more positive. There have already been miracles in soccer. From the outside, nobody believes in us anymore anyway, but for us it’s important that we get ourselves ready for this final task. Because we won’t give up and want to win in Düsseldorf. We’ll see what comes out of it in the end. “

VfL have often excelled in showing comeback qualities. Even if the last few games give no reason to believe in a repeat performance, Stöger at least wants to bow out of the league with grace, should it not be enough in the end. “We have the most important task of the whole season ahead of us. The focus is on bringing everything to the pitch. We have to work together to make the impossible possible. No matter what the result is in the end. We’ve been a team, a unit, all season. We must not allow ourselves to be pulled apart in Düsseldorf.”

There will almost certainly be a change of scenery for Stöger in the summer, but this is not due to a possible relegation. He would also have been a candidate for a departure if the team had finished in the league. He emphasizes: “Now is not the time to talk about leaving.”

From Tuesday onwards, if VfL are unable to save themselves, there will be a number of departures. Up to 15 players, presumably including the sporting directors Marc Lettau and Patrick Fabian, who are expected to be replaced.

VfL still have 90 or 120 minutes in Düsseldorf to prevent all this from happening. Because miracles happen all the time… cb / gp