Kevin Stöger has been a constant throughout VfL Bochum’s season. He will also be crucial against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Following the relegation exit for Manuel Riemann, who was actually VfL Bochum’s regular goalkeeper, VfL now need other experienced players to lead the way in the first and second legs against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

In addition to Anthony Losilla and Keven Schlotterbeck, this will primarily be Kevin Stöger, who has had a strong season so far. He has been on the pitch 32 times. He scored seven goals and set up nine.

Now he also has to make sure that the shock of Bremen, where they missed out on direct relegation, no longer plays a role on Thursday and Monday (both 8:30 pm).

Ahead of the relegation matches and the hype surrounding Riemann, he emphasizes: “Unfortunately, there are always phases in soccer when things are unsettled. That shouldn’t affect us players. We have to turn that into positive energy. We have to be together on the pitch, everything else doesn’t matter.”

And Stöger, who also has a Fortuna past, makes no secret of the fact that he would have liked to have avoided relegation: “Nobody wanted it that way, nobody thought it would happen. But we still have the chance to make it. Two other teams didn’t make it and would certainly like to swap places. We want to show that we are a team that belongs in the Bundesliga. We want to show that on the pitch, and to do that we need a great performance from every player.”

However, supporters currently see the second division team as the favorites, as Düsseldorf have not lost in 14 games. VfL attacker Philipp Hofmann explains: “Everyone currently sees Düsseldorf as the favorites because they are going into the relegation play-off with a positive feeling. But I also see that as an opportunity. If we’ve been written off, maybe we can now show them all the more. “

We want to set off fireworks straight away

Kevin Stöger

The team wants to draw strength above all from the first leg, here in the Ruhrstadion. And Stöger is certain: “I think it’s good for us to start at home. We want to set off fireworks straight away. We know what’s going on here. We don’t just need the 20 men in the squad, we need every single fan.”

In order to then travel to the state capital with a broad chest again. Stöger: “We know how good Düsseldorf are. But we have to play our game at home: It’s extremely important that we go into the second leg with a positive feeling.” cb / gp