TSG Hoffenheim Haberleri

TSG Hoffenheim could have been the big winners of the round in terms of the relegation battle. No club from the bottom third of the table picked up three points at the weekend. But TSG slipped to a 3-1 defeat against 1. FC Cologne and missed a big opportunity in their quest to stay up. Very much to the disappointment of Christoph Baumgartner: “We played with too little power, especially in the first half. That’s what has set us apart in recent weeks, you always had the feeling that we wanted to win more. We didn’t have that energy. We could have taken a big step forward; now it feels like a big step backwards. There wasn’t a player on the pitch who produced his best performance. And that annoys me. We all need to look in the mirror and admit to ourselves: that was way too little.”

In 1965, a success story started about 65 kilometres south-west of Madrid. A company by the name of JOMA was founded in Toledo, a small city with approximately 65,000 inhabitants, and at the time focused on the production of football boots. Thirty-three years later – during which the brand established itself as an equipment supplier – JOMA landed a coup and made an appearance on the biggest stage in the nearby capital city: the company signed the Spaniard Rafael Martín Vázquez, one of Real Madrid’s big stars. He was followed by club legend Emilio Butragueño a year later. The next quantum leap came a decade later: in 1998, JOMA’s campaign entitled “EL COLOR EN EL FÚTBOL” (English: “The Colour in Football”) made a splash worldwide and revolutionised the global football boot market. Brightly coloured boots were now everywhere; star striker Fernando Morientes, for example, attracted attention globally by donning red boots in the white kit of Real Madrid.

There will be up to 5 wheelchair places and 30 additional seats available in the bus to Stuttgart. The trip is aimed at persons with and without restrictions. The bus ticket without a match ticket costs €17. The departure from the PreZero Arena is at 11:30 CET. The match starts at 15:30 CET.

“The partnership with JOMA is very important to us. We notice, in part through feedback from our own supporters, how well our shirt designs for example go down with our fans,” said TSG managing director Denni Strich. “After four successful years with our Spanish top partner, we’re looking forward to another three seasons in which TSG will compete in the various Bundesliga divisions with completely custom-designed jerseys,” Strich added.

The substitutes for the game against 1. FC Cologne: Philipp, Bičakčić, Ozan Kabak, Dabbur, Stiller, Rudy, Dolberg, Skov, Bischof

Line-up Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo made two changes to the starting line-up that drew 1-1 in...

Kevin Vogt: “The defeat is a blow but one we want to shake off quickly. The energy...

Together with main sponsor SAP and stadium caterer Compass-Group, TSG Hoffenheim want to reduce waiting times at the kiosks in the PreZero Arena. The “Mobile Order” project was launched to this end. Successful tests have already been conducted in the South Stand at recent home games. For the next home match against Cologne (22 April), the service can be used stadium-wide.

Cologne occupy 11th position in the table and have not dropped below 13th place at any stage of the season, with the vast majority of the campaign spent in mid-table. Following their surprising qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League last season, the management would have certainly settled for a quiet season.

”Luca had a late development as a youth player, but then his progress was all the more rapid. His progression to playing in goal for the Germany U21 team is a testament to the outstanding goalkeeping training at TSG,” says Alexander Rosen, director of football at TSG Hoffenheim. ”Luca has a huge desire to learn, he’s hard-working and he’s talented. Since the beginning of last year he’s established himself as the number two behind Oliver Bauman. Regardless of that, there are open discussions taking place between us and his inner-circle to decide whether a loan might make sense at the end of this season to give him more playing time at as high a level as possible.”