After the return of Serhou Guirassy and Hiroki Ito from their international duties, new options present themselves for Stuttgart’s coach Sebastian Hoeness ahead of their DFB-Pokal quarter-final clash at Bayer Leverkusen. However, there is still a question mark behind the Guinean striker’s participation.On Sunday, the Swabians’ chief coach welcomed Ito to Stuttgart, who disappointingly and surprisingly exited the tournament in the quarter-finals against Iran with Japan’s national team at the Asia Cup in Qatar, losing 1-2. Guirassy arrived at VfB today after Guinea’s 1-3 defeat against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the AFCON quarter-finals, featuring his club striking partner Silas Katompa Mvumpa. Upon arriving in Germany, Guirassy was immediately subjected to a detailed examination by the medical department.💬 Fabrizio Romano, recently revealed on his podcast:“The player who was really close to joining Manchester United is Serhou Guirassy from Stuttgart.”“But from what I’m hearing, the situation was impossible because of finances.”According to a recent report covered by… pic.twitter.com/NilTnM8baf— Inside Man Utd (@InsideManUtdPod) February 4, 2024 The French-born goalscorer must first undergo a medical check-up, reveals Hoeness. Not only did Guirassy have to pause for about two weeks in Ivory Coast due to a muscle injury, but also had a bit of stomach problems, like several Guinean team members. In addition, there was a complicated and longer journey back. Therefore, the coach doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.”We won’t rush him into anything if the risk is too great. Even though (the cup match in Leverkusen, editor’s note) is a very important game for us: we still have several other games to play afterwards. It’s about a player’s health. That’s why we just have to wait.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7855520##The chance that the attacker, like Ito, will at least take a seat on the bench is given. Even if he probably won’t like that very much. On the other hand, Chris Fuhrich and Maximilian Mittelstadt, who have recovered from their bruises from the match in Freiburg, will definitely play. And Anthony Rouault, who delivered a strong performance in the 3-1 win in Freiburg, does not have to sit out either. The French defender suffered a broken nose last time out but will be able to play with a protective mask.The importance of the match against Leverkusen is more than clear to everyone. The hosts are “probably the favourites”, as Hoeness put it. But the cup means one game – and even the dominant Bundesliga leaders aren’t unbeatable.
