Deniz Undav on Composure and Goals Ahead of Berlin Final
Deniz Undav talks about goals the way a craftsman talks about tools. No romance, no mystery – just repetition, precision, and a demand for cold blood when it matters most.
“Composure in front of goal is very important for strikers because it makes your shots more accurate,” the VfB Stuttgart forward says. “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 line from a striker on the brink of the biggest night of his club season. Stuttgart head into Saturday’s Berlin final against Bayern Munich with Undav as one of their key weapons, yet he still picks apart his own finishing as if reviewing tape in an empty video room.
Underdogs in Berlin
The stage is familiar, the roles even more so. Bayern arrive as record winners, heavyweight favourites with a history of treating Berlin finals as their private showcase. Stuttgart? They know exactly where they stand.
“In Saturday's Berlin final, the defending champions are complete underdogs against the record winners,” the 29-year-old admits. “Bayern are the clear favourites, and there's no point pretending otherwise.”
No bluster, no false bravado. Just a clear-eyed reading of the landscape. But Undav doesn’t sound like a man preparing to play the victim.
“Still, anything can happen in a single game. We know we can disrupt them, unsettle them. We'll give it our all.”
That’s where his idea of composure links back in. Bayern thrive when opponents panic, when passes get rushed and chances snatched at. Undav talks instead about drilling that calm every day, about turning the chaos of a final into something that feels like training-ground routine.
Kebab, not champagne
If Stuttgart pull off the upset, there will be no champagne-soaked VIP party for the squad. Their celebration of choice is far more grounded – and very Berlin.
After the match, the players will mark the occasion with a “victory kebab”, a ritual that started in the capital and stuck.
“After the match, the squad will celebrate with a victory kebab—a tradition that began in Berlin,” Undav explains. “If we win, everyone's having a kebab. I'll watch a few YouTube videos about the top five kebabs in Berlin and decide which one I like.”
It is an image that fits this Stuttgart side: a group happy to embrace the big stage, but just as comfortable hunting down the best late-night food in town. If Bayern embody the polished, global machine, VfB are the team that might just raid their crown and then head out for a kebab as if it were a regular away day.
Future on hold – for now
Once Berlin is done, Undav’s calendar does not get any lighter. He will join up with Germany for the World Cup, a personal milestone that could coincide with another major decision in his career.
A new contract with VfB Stuttgart is on the table. Both sides know the fit is good.
“After that, Undav will join Germany at the World Cup—and he could be carrying a new VfB contract with him,” he says. “There's no reason why not. 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 wait. First comes Bayern, Berlin, and the chance to turn underdog status into something far more enduring – a trophy, a legend, and maybe the coldest finish of his career.
