Deniz Undav on Composure and Underdogs Ahead of Bayern Clash

Deniz Undav talks about goals the way a craftsman talks about tools. No frills, no mystique. Just repetition, nerve and the cold clarity that separates a decent striker from a decisive one.

“Composure in front of goal is very important for strikers because it makes your shots more accurate,” the VfB Stuttgart forward explains. “If you drill that every day, you become ice-cold. If I had a bit more of that, I'd surely finish more chances.”

It is a revealing admission from a 29-year-old who has built his career on sharp movement and ruthless finishing. He knows the margins. He lives in them. Every extra heartbeat of calm in the box, every cleaner contact, can tilt a final.

And now comes the biggest stage of his Stuttgart spell: Saturday’s Berlin showpiece against Bayern.

Underdogs in the capital

Undav doesn’t bother dressing it up. Stuttgart are chasing a title; Bayern are guarding an era.

In his words, the defending champions are “complete underdogs against the record winners.” There is no attempt to rewrite the hierarchy, no forced bravado. “Bayern are the clear favourites, and there's no point pretending otherwise,” he says.

That realism doesn’t sound like resignation. It sounds like a team that understands exactly what it is walking into – and why that can be dangerous for the giant in red.

“Still, anything can happen in a single game. We know we can disrupt them, unsettle them. We'll give it our all.”

That is the line Stuttgart must walk in Berlin: respect the weight of Bayern’s history without letting it crush their own belief. One perfect press. One counter. One moment of that “ice-cold” composure Undav keeps talking about – that might be all it takes.

A final with a kebab twist

If Stuttgart do pull it off, the celebrations won’t be champagne-soaked exclusivity. They’ll be wrapped in paper and dripping with sauce.

After the match, the squad will mark the occasion with a “victory kebab” – a ritual born in Berlin and now firmly part of the club’s folklore. It is wonderfully unpretentious, the kind of tradition that fits a squad which still feels connected to ordinary life.

“If we win, everyone's having a kebab,” Undav says. The planning has already started. “I'll watch a few YouTube videos about the top five kebabs in Berlin and decide which one I like.”

It’s a small detail, but it speaks to a dressing room that hasn’t lost its sense of fun, even with a major trophy on the line. The stakes are huge. The mood stays human.

Future on the line – and in his hands

Once the final whistle blows and the kebabs are chosen, Undav’s horizon shifts quickly. Next stop: the World Cup with Germany.

He could arrive there not just as a cup winner, but also with a fresh VfB contract in his pocket. Talks are moving, and his stance is clear.

“There's no reason why not,” he says of extending his stay. “I've said many times that I enjoy playing here; I feel at home. I feel like a Stuttgart native, even if I'm not one. We're not far apart; it's just the small details.”

Those “small details” will decide more than just his contract. They will shape the spine of Stuttgart’s future, and they may well decide how far this team can push its current momentum.

First, though, comes Bayern in Berlin. Ninety minutes, maybe more, to prove that an “underdog” with composure, belief and a promise of a victory kebab can tear up the script.