Veh excited but not carried away

VfB Stuttgart coach Armin Veh may admit that facing FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League is the realisation of a long-held ambition, but with three Group E points at stake he is refusing to be dazzled by the luminaries in blue and maroon, even if Ronaldinho is among them.

Respect for Cruyff
"This is a dream come true," he said. "I used to watch Johan Cruyff's side and loved the way they played, so free-flowing, so attacking. Ever since I started coaching it has been a dream of mine to stand on the touchline against Barcelona." Veh could be forgiven for lamenting that his wish has not been granted at a different time. The German champions have endured a prosaic start to their title defence, their 2-1 weekend reverse at FC Hansa Rostock being a fourth defeat in eight Bundesliga outings. But the coach is undaunted, saying: "It's not time to talk of salvaging our season yet – there are only eight games gone."

Playing catch-up
There is also one gone in their group-stage campaign, but because Stuttgart lost it 2-1 at Rangers FC there is increased onus on them getting something from Tuesday's encounter. "Barcelona are obviously stronger than us and they will start as massive favourites, but we won't change our way of playing just because it is them," said Veh, who will wait as long as possible to assess the fitness of Yıldıray Baştürk after Thomas Hitzlsberger was ruled out with a broken toe. The visitors have problems of their own: Yaya Touré joined Gianluca Zambrotta and Samuel Eto'o on the sidelines when he damaged his thigh in Saturday's 4-1 victory at Levante UD, and Gabriel Milito is struggling with a hip injury.

Tale of the unexpected
Such concerns are a far cry from last week when Stuttgart played host to a Pumpkin Regatta, where grown men climbed into enormous fruits and paddled across a small stretch of water. It made for unusual viewing, and the consensus among many in the city is that the sight of VfB claiming three UEFA Champions League points against Barça would be no less unexpected. Yet the Catalan outfit, and in particular their coach, are taking nothing for granted. "It's the Champions League and no game is easy," said Frank Rijkaard. "The standard is always very high, and we'll be playing a team with their crowd behind them. I understand why people would say we are favourites but you have to prove it on the pitch."

Ronaldinho back
Available after missing the 3-0 victory against Olympique Lyonnais, Carles Puyol is hoping to return along with Ronaldinho, who has not played since Matchday 1, at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. It is a venue where, despite their problems, Stuttgart remain formidable opposition, and it is more than 12 months since Bundesliga opposition went away with three points; something not lost on Rijkaard: "Stuttgart are a good, strong team, especially at home, so we have to prepare well and work hard. I never underestimate our opponents before the fight." Nor, it seems, does Veh.