Matarazzo: “Nothing has changed for us”

Pellegrino Matarazzo on…

…VfL Wolfsburg: “They have a variable structure but clear processes in their attacking play. Wolfsburg have individual quality. Defensively, they frequently press high, they will definitely want to show a reaction following the 6-0 defeat in Dortmund. They have a very young team but they look very stable. The team is battling for Europe, they’ll perform with a lot of energy. But the focus is on my team. If we perform with the right attitude, we’ll have a chance to win the match.”

…lessons from the Frankfurt match: “I mentioned directly after the game that some virtues are required to win matches in the Bundesliga. The desire we showed in the first half and the heart with which we defended in the second half are among them. It was a very strong team performance.”

…the defensive display against Eintracht: “The defensive display was somewhere between good and very good. We had a phase in the first half that I didn’t like. We defended with heart in the second half, even though we were slightly too deep at times. Even the players that were in positions that are not familiar to them played well.”

…Grischa Prömel: “It was a big workload for Grischa on Saturday. To make up for it, he only trained individually on the first training day. But he’s making a very good impression. We’re conveying to him he doesn’t have to do anything differently from before his injury. Grischa should keep being Grischa.”

…the chances of staying up: “Nothing has changed for us. We’re still fighting to stay up and continuing to feel the pressure. We don’t look at the other places; rather, we want to pick up our next victory. We’re completely focused on Wolfsburg. The way the team trains and works speaks volumes. We’re taking it game by game and would like to secure our survival as quickly as possible.”

…the players who are a booking away from suspension: “The lads must not put the handbrake on. Unnecessary cards should of course be avoided, but they shouldn’t let that slow them down. Dennis Geiger has been playing for many weeks now with nine yellow cards; I also trust him to keep going until the end of the season without another caution.”

The personnel situation:

Kevin Vogt (bursa fold) and Pavel Kadeřábek (muscular injury) remained sidelined with injury. Stanley Nsoki is banned after his red card in the game against Frankfurt (3-1), but Kevin Akpoguma is set to return from a yellow card suspension. As it stands, the rest of the squad is available.

Head-to-head record:

TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg have met in the Bundesliga on 29 previous occasions. VfL have won 13 matches, while Hoffenheim have taken maximum points nine times. TSG have won three of the last four meetings, with Wolfsburg only winning the reverse fixture this season (2-1) during that period.

The opposition’s form:

After two outstanding wins in Bochum (5-1) and against Mainz (3-0), VfL suffered a bitter 6-0 away defeat to Borussia Dortmund last week. Wolfsburg are still battling for a place in European competition; they currently occupy seventh place and sit two points behind Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

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