LOOK AHEAD: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

The international break is over, we’re into the final spurt of the season. Part one of that takes place for VfL on Saturday in Baden-Württemberg. With good memories of the first time we played then. Let’s look ahead to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim:

THE TEAM.

Extremely solid season that TSG is putting together. Even weaker phases, such as after the success at the beginning of this Bundesliga season or in mid-January shortly after the start of the second half of the season, were quickly overcome by the Kraichgauer, who subsequently even put together winning streaks of several weeks. The responsibility is spread over several shoulders this season. Andrej Kramaric has “only” four goals for the season. In the past, he was TSG’s life insurance. Now the current top scorer is Ihlas Bebou (7 goals), and the best provider of assists is national player David Raum (10 assists). Hoffenheim has become more unpredictable. Not only in terms of scoring goals. Many young talents are an integral part of the regular lineup. The aforementioned Raum (23 years young), Baumgartner (22), Stiller (20), Rutter (19). In addition, there are the experienced Baumann, Vogt, Rudy or Kramaric. A mixture that is just right.

THE COACH

The man carries a big name in German professional soccer. For Sebastian Hoeneß, the current season is already the second season as head coach of TSG. It’s his first stint as a coach in the Bundesliga, having previously coached FC Bayern’s second team. In the summer of 2020, the now 39-year-old was officially presented in Sinsheim as the successor to Dutchman Alfred Schreuder. However, the son of Dieter Hoeneß and nephew of Uli Hoeneß is far from resting on the laurels of his relatives; rather, the TSG coach is delivering results himself. Last year, TSG finished 11th in the table. Currently, the Kraichgauer are in 6th place, four points ahead of 1. FC Köln. So once again, participation in European competition beckons. The coach knows that points are needed for this: “We want to perform again the way we see ourselves: As a cohesive unit, dynamic and courageous forward play. We didn’t show that against Hertha, so it’s important to bring that back onto the pitch against Bochum.”

THE RECORD

This duel does not have too much tradition yet. It will be the sixth clash with TSG on Saturday. All games took place in the Oberhaus, with the first leg anne Castroper being the first competitive match between VfL and the Kraichgauer after a break of more than 11.5 years. The spectators at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion were treated to another spectacle. Substitute Soma Novothny, who is now active in Cyprus, scored the blue-white opening goal. It remained highly exciting until the end. Milos Pantovic put the score at 2:0 with the very last chance, and how! From 66 meters, the marksman scored into the orphaned TSG goal, and the victory was perfect. As a result, the Reis eleven also took the lead in the statistics. The current score is 3:2 for Bochum. The last encounter in Sinsheim went 3:0 to TSG. Ba, Obasi and Compper scored for the then upstart.