Pellegrino Matarazzo on…
…the match on Saturday: “We’re playing at a sold-out stadium. We’ve recently been very successful at home. We’re about to face an opponent that will demand everything of us. We showed very good performances against Leverkusen last season. We want to build on that. We know that we have it in us.”
…training during the international break: “We used the time to work on a lot of topics. We had a good friendly against Zürich, in which a few players got important minutes. That allowed us to stay in our rhythm. Afterwards, the lads were given a few days off to catch their breath. We have worked in a target-oriented manner this week in order to prepare ourselves for Leverkusen.”
…Grischa Prömel’s injury: “It is of course very sad that Grischa has sustained a serious injury for the second time at TSG Hoffenheim. He is a senior player who gives our team stability. It is not possible to replace a player like for like. We will see who will replace him on Saturday.”
…the signing of Christopher Lenz: “We’re gaining a player with experience. He can play as a left-back, but also as a left-sided centre-back. He’s already shown that. He also gives us the option of playing with a back four. Alexander Prass can also be deployed in midfield.”
The personnel situation:
In addition to the long-term injury absentees Ihlas Bebou, Ozan Kabak and Grischa Prömel, David Jurásek and Finn Becker are sidelined too. Becker is well on his way to returning to team training, but it will still take a while yet. Jurásek will be able to train partially with the team again the week after next. Tom Bischof and Umut Tohumcu are options for the weekend.
The opposition’s form:
An impressive run ended on the last matchday: After 35 Bundesliga matches without defeat, Bayer 04 Leverkusen suffered a loss in a Bundesliga match for the first time in more than a year against RB Leipzig (3-2). Coach Xabi Alonso’s team became German champions without losing a game last season.
The head-to-head record:
Leverkusen have beaten TSG not only last season (2-1 and 3-2 defeats). Bayer 04 have come out on top 19 times in their 32 Bundesliga meetings, while TSG have won on seven occasions (plus six draws). Hoffenheim’s most recent triumph came in August 2022 (3-0).