VfB Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß has offered his assessment of the contrasting fortunes of German strikers Deniz Undav and Niclas Füllkrug ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga encounter with Werder Bremen. While Füllkrug has celebrated a return to the national team following an extraordinary start to the season , Stuttgart captain Undav continues to await his first Bundesliga goal of the 2026/27 campaign.
The two forwards enjoyed considerably different fortunes when Jürgen Klopp announced his 24-man Germany squad for the November international window on Thursday. Füllkrug, 33, earned his first call-up since September 2025 after scoring nine Bundesliga goals in eight appearances for Bremen. Undav, meanwhile, was once again omitted despite having scored 19 league goals for Stuttgart last season.
The 30-year-old has endured a difficult opening to the current campaign, struggling to reproduce the goalscoring form that established him among Germany's leading domestic attackers. His performances have nevertheless retained the confidence of his head coach, who believes the striker's contributions are being overlooked amid his lack of goals.
Speaking at Thursday's pre-match press conference, Hoeneß acknowledged that Undav's principal problem remains his failure to find the back of the net.
"What isn't there are the goals," Hoeneß said at the press conference. "If you look at the match in Istanbul , he could easily have had another two or three assists. I think he's generally getting back into his rhythm."
The VfB coach emphasized that Undav's difficulties were representative of the team's wider problems in the final third. Stuttgart created several promising opportunities against Galatasaray but ultimately failed to capitalize, suffering another disappointing defeat despite periods of encouraging attacking play.
"It's the same with him as it is with us generally," Hoeneß explained. "That final bit is missing. In his case, it's the chances that other players aren't converting. That's obviously an issue for us."
Undav's underlying performances have nevertheless raised questions beyond his lack of goals. According to Opta statistics, the Stuttgart striker has won just 20 percent of his Bundesliga duels this season. Hoeneß, however, remains convinced that the 30-year-old is moving in the right direction.
Füllkrug arrives in Stuttgart enjoying a markedly different period in his career. The veteran has rediscovered his goalscoring touch since returning to Werder Bremen following difficult spells with West Ham United and AC Milan. His nine Bundesliga goals have helped propel Daniel Thioune's side into fifth place, earning the striker another opportunity to represent Germany.
"It's a very positive occurrence for the Bundesliga," Hoeneß said of Füllkrug's recall at his Thursday pre-match press conference. "He's had a rough time. We always knew that he could do it. He's demonstrating once again that he's strong with both feet and his head."
The Stuttgart trainer also praised Bremen's collective development, describing the visitors as the team of the moment.
Bremen have collected 15 points from their opening eight Bundesliga fixtures, losing just once. Their recent 2-0 victory over Hoffenheim further demonstrated the consistency that has made them one of the early surprises of the campaign.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, have collected nine points and remain some distance behind their Saturday opponents. Hoeneß knows that his side will require an improved performance to overcome a Bremen team currently enjoying far greater consistency.
The meeting also offers an intriguing personal contrast between two experienced German internationals.
