VfB Stuttgart

[Oliver_Kahn]

According to latest reports, he is being followed by Hamburg.
(Timo's contract ends at the end of the season)

Bayern will give Kahn's spot to Michael Rensing.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Stuttgart with a disappointing result, they drew 0-0 with Cottbus and drop to 4th place.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Stuttgart beat Bochum 4-1 and are through to the next round of the German Cup

[Oliver_Kahn]

2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern have signed VfB Stuttgart's Silvio Meißner in a loan deal for six months.


The Halle-born player has scored 37 Bundesliga goals in 242 matches.

"I hope I can count on the fans"

"You hear lots of good things about the Palatinates supporters. I'm curious what awaits me at Fritz-Walter-Stadion. I hope that I can count on the fans even as 'loan Palatinate'", the 33 year-old declared.

"In any case the fans can be sure that I will give my best and I'm already fully motivated", Meißner added.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Stuttgart are keen to replace wantaway goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand with Hannover's Robert Enke, according to German media reports.

Contract talks with Hildebrand broke down this week, with the club publicly stating that they had taken back their offer, after he refused to sign on time, while the 'keeper himself insisted that he would not be put under pressure to put pen to paper.

He has since been linked with a move to Spanish giants Valencia, while kicker magazine reported that Stuttgart are keen to sign 29-year-old Enke as his replacement, offering him the same 4-year contract worth around 10 million euros that Hildebrand turned down.

However, the South German outfit also face competition from Hamburg and Hertha Berlin for his signature.

http://www.eurosport.com/football/bu...o1039166.shtml

[Oliver_Kahn]

I'm not a big fan of Enke.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Goalkeeper Robert Enke has put an end to rumours linking him with a move to Stuttgart in the summer, by signing a new deal with Hannover.

After two days of negotiations, the 29-year-old accepted an improved deal that will see him remain at the AWD-Arena until 2010.

Enke had been mooted as a possible replacement at Stuttgart for Timo Hildebrand, after the club announced contract negotiations between the two parties had stalled earlier this week.

Enke has made 83 appearances for Hannover since moving to the club from Barcelona in 2004

http://www.eurosport.com/football/bu...o1040057.shtml

[Oliver_Kahn]

The Bundesliga's first ever Mexican players, Pavel Pardo and Ricardo Osorio, joined VfB this summer. bundesliga.de looks at how they're doing.


Pavel Pardo is a playmaker for Stuttgart's midfield. And Ricardo Osorio a new man on defence.

First-ever Mexicans

Stuttgart's new signings not only made Bundesliga history as the first-ever Mexican players in the league, but they're both aiming to ensure all goes well in Stuttgart, too!

Pavel Pardo said "I'm happy to be the first Mexican, or better said one of the first. After all, Ricardo's here too. I'm extremely proud, and I hope we can make an impression."

And Osorio added "I'm glad to be one of the first to play in Germany. We're aiming to go all the way.”

Hitzlsperger impressed

30 year-old Pavel Pardo and 26 year-old Ricardo Osorio joined VfB Stuttgart after playing a good role at the World Cup.

And they've made a good impression with their new teammates as defender Thomas Hitzlsperger explains: "Ricardo Osorio's a right back. He is very quick, he's just a small player. What we probably think about Mexican players is that they're small and very quick. He's that type of player. He's always positive, going forward, and he always tries to take on a player, but defensively he's well organised."

Pardo with first-ever goal

"Pavel Pardo is the more experienced player, he has played many games for Mexico. And you can certainly see that experience. He is very calm on the ball, he gets the ball from the back four, and just plays it forward to the strikers. He does a really good job. He's the anchorman as you call it in front of the back four, and he does a great job for us there", the "Hammer" adds.

Pardo is the more eye-catching player. He's set up goals this season and netted the first Mexican goal in the Bundesliga, when he scored against Werder Bremen in a mid-September match.

Osorio sent off

It took a while for things to click for Osorio though. He was sent off in his second Bundesliga appearance, and handed a two-game suspension. But his positive spin on life helped him get back on track.

"I'm so happy that everything has worked out. But above anything else, I'm especially happy about fulfilling a dream. We've been given the chance to play in Europe and show everyone what we're capable of.”

Hitzlsperger adds: "They just came here and said: "we are here now, we want to do well” and they give their best everyday in training. They're not lazy and thinking, "maybe I'm in the wrong place”. They enjoy themselves and that's really important. They came here and give their best, they are trying to talk to the players. They're trying to be part of the team, and we make them feel welcome. They certainly experience that and they give us something back. It's just working really well.”

Better than fifth place?

Pardo and Osorio are both optimistic about Stuttgart's run of form and Pardo thinks "we can finish in the top five in the Bundesliga. That's Stuttgart's objective. But as a player, you naturally want to go a bit further than that.”

There doesn't seem to be much doubt Stuttgart will achieve the club's objective and with their "Mexican connection” surging of late, maybe the team will have a lot more to celebrate than a fifth place finish when the season's over.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Daniel Bierofka will not join his colleagues in Dubai but instead stay at home in Stuttgart for rehabilitation training after his knee surgery in December.


VfB head coach Armin Veh commented: "I spoke to his doctor yesterday, his knee is o.k. and the infection is gone now but there would be no point in him making the trip to Dubai. He will stay in Stuttgart to convalese so as he can be ready to get back into things again soon."

[Oliver_Kahn]

Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart have won the indoor tournament in Nuremberg.


VfB scored at least five goals in all of their matches and beat 2. Bundesliga side SpVgg Greuther Fürth 5-4 in the final.

Hertha in third place

Hertha BSC came third after beating 1. FC Kaiserlautern 6-4 in the match for third place.

Wacker Burghausen and hosts 1. FC Nürnberg were eliminated in the group stages.

Group A:
VfB Stuttgart - Wacker Burghausen 5-1
Hertha BSC - Wacker Burghausen 3-2
VfB Stuttgart - Hertha BSC 6-6


Table:
1. VfB Stuttgart 11-7 4
2. Hertha BSC 9-8 4
3. Wacker Burghausen 3-8 0

Group B:
1.FC Nürnberg - 1.FC Kaiserlautern 4-2
1.FC Kaiserslautern - Greuther Fürth 3-1
SpVgg Greuther Fürth - 1.FC Nürnberg 7-1

Table:
1. SpVgg Greuther Fürth 8-4 3
2. 1.FC Kaiserslautern 5-5 3
3. 1.FC Nürnberg 5-9 3

Semi-finals:
VfB Stuttgart - 1. FC Kaiserslautern 7-4
Greuther Fürth - Hertha BSC 6-3 after penalty shootout

Match for third place:
Hertha BSC - 1.FC Kaiserslautern 6-4

Final:
VfB Stuttgart - SpVgg Greuther Fürth 5-4

[Oliver_Kahn]

In Mannheim SAP Arena VfB Stuttgart won his second tournament within two days.


Stuttgart beat 2. Bundesliga side Kickers Offenbach 3-2.

Group A:
1. FC Kaiserslautern - Kickers Offenbach 1-3
Kickers Offenbach - 1. FSV Mainz 05 0-1
1. FSV Mainz 05 - 1. FC Kaiserslautern 3-3

Table:
1. 1. FSV Mainz 05 5-3 4
2. Kickers Offenbach 3-3 3
3. 1. FC Kaiserslautern 4-6 1

Group B:
VfB Stuttgart - TSG Hoffenheim 0-2
TSG Hoffenheim - Karlsruher SC 2-2
Karlsruher SC - VfB Stuttgart 3-4

Table:
1. TSG Hoffenheim 4-2 4
2. VfB Stuttgart 4-5 3
3. Karlsruher SC 5-6 1

Semi-finals:
VfB Stuttgart - 1. FSV Mainz 05 5:4 after penalty shootout
Kickers Offenbach - TSG Hoffenheim 1:0

Match for third place:
TSG Hoffenheim - FSV Mainz 05 9:8 after penalty shootout

Final:
VfB Stuttgart - Kickers Offenbach 3-2

[Oliver_Kahn]

2. Bundesliga side Kickers Offenbach meet their arch rivals Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-final of the DFB Cup. The other fixtures are right crackers, too.


The top match of the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup is that of Bundesliga sides VfB Stuttgart and Hertha BSC Berlin. This is the result of the draw made by former German international Oliver Bierhoff live on German TV.

Kickers Offenbach, the only 2. Bundesliga side left in the competition, host last year's finalists Eintracht Frankfurt in a potentially explosive Hessian derby.

Nuremberg host Hannover

Alemannia Aachen, who pulled off the shock result of the last round when they eliminated champions Bayern, have to travel to Wolfsburg, while in another match of two Bundesliga sides Nuremberg host Hannover 96.

The last time a Hessian derby between Frankfurt and Offenbach was played was in September 2003 in the first round of the DFB Cup. Eintracht Frankfurt then won the 143th Hessian derby by beating Offenbach at their ground on penalties.

Quarter-Finals on the 27th and 28th of February

The semi-finals are to be played on March, 17th and 18th respectively. The final of the 2006-07 DFB Cup competition will be held on May 26th, 2007 in Berlin's Olympiastadion.

The quarter-final draw in full:

VfB Stuttgart vs. Hertha BSC Berlin

1.FC Nürnberg vs. Hannover 96

VfL Wolfsburg vs. Alemannia Aachen

Kickers Offenbach vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

[Oliver_Kahn]

Tough draw for Stuttgart, but the game should be grwat to watch.

[Oliver_Kahn]

Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart have narrowly lost their first match of the Dubai Football Challenge against the hosts.


Armin Veh's team lost 2-1 against the United Arabian Emirates.

Gomez opener

Mario Gomez (64) had fired VfB into the lead, but Mohamed Omar (66) and Ismael Matar (76) turned the match around in front of 3,000 fans.

The Swabians looked tired after having arrived the night before and having trained in the morning.

Without several regulars

Veh rested several regulars, including Fernando Meira and Mathieau Delpierre.

Goal-getter Gomez played just the second half, Michael Langer kept goal for Timo Hildebrand and did well.