Pejcinovic and Bredlow lead VfB Stuttgart past Hansa Rostock in DFB-Pokal

A composed opener from the new striker

Bredlow, meanwhile, underlined his case to be Stuttgart's number one with a composed display. He denied Hansa's clearest chances either side of half-time, including a point-blank stop shortly after the restart that kept the home crowd from growing restless.

Hansa Rostock, freshly promoted back to the 3. Liga, arrived in Baden-Württemberg as clear underdogs but refused to play like one in the opening exchanges. Coach Patrick Glöckner had spoken beforehand about wanting his side to test themselves against top-flight opposition, and for stretches they did exactly that, pressing high and forcing Stuttgart into rushed distribution.

The visitors' spell of pressure told on the scoreboard only briefly. Stuttgart's second goal, arriving early in the second half, re-established control and allowed Hoeneß to give minutes to several squad players, including a late cameo from a teenage academy graduate who impressed in pre-season.

Hoeneß balances rotation with intensity

Speaking after the final whistle, Pejcinovic struck a measured tone. "Wir werden das Spiel aufarbeiten, wir werden es gut analysieren und dann werden wir uns bestmöglich auf das erste Bundesliga-Spiel vorbereiten," he said, reflecting a squad focused less on celebration than on the Bundesliga opener that follows in days.

Hoeneß echoed that assessment. He praised the team's intensity, singled out Bredlow for his interventions, and noted that Pejcinovic had delivered the kind of all-round centre-forward performance the staff had demanded from him since his arrival. The coach stopped short of declaring a first-choice eleven, but his comments suggested both players had moved up the internal pecking order.

For Hansa Rostock the evening carried lessons beyond the result. Glöckner pointed to the gap in finishing quality between the two sides as the decisive factor, while praising his team's willingness to play forward. The Rostock squad travels next to a 3. Liga fixture that will determine whether their cup form translates into league points.

What it means for the Bundesliga opener

The wider context around the match also drew attention: Stuttgart's sporting director, speaking in the mixed zone, confirmed that the club remained in contact with representatives of Jürgen Klopp regarding a non-playing advisory role, though he described any agreement as a matter for a later date and not connected to the cup tie.

With the first Bundesliga weekend looming, Stuttgart's win offered reassurance but not yet certainty. Pre-season friendlies had produced mixed results, and questions over the back four and the centre-forward depth had hung over the squad through July and August. A clean, professional cup win against a side two divisions below is a start, but only that.

Pejcinovic's cameo suggested he will be more than a rotation option. Bredlow's performance reinforced a long-running internal debate about the goalkeeper position, and Hoeneß will spend the days before the league opener weighing combinations as much as form. For now, the squad flies north knowing it has avoided the kind of early-season slip that has ended cup runs for bigger favourites in recent years.

Hansa Rostock, for their part, return to the coast with a clearer picture of the standard they must meet to climb out of the third tier. Glöckner said his players would take the experience into training on Monday and treat the cup tie as a benchmark for the months ahead.