Our next opponents: Hoffenheim with seventh place in sight

Position

Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann needed only two words to sum up his side’s 3-0 defeat to VfB Stuttgart last time out: “No chance”. Coach Pellegrino Matarazzo was also clear in his assessment of the defeat prior to the international break: “That was fully deserved. The first half was too dispirited from us. We wanted to cause Stuttgart problems, press higher. We also weren’t able to assert ourselves enough in the second half either.” It was a second straight loss for TSG after their 3-1 reverse to Eintracht Frankfurt as they once again failed to get a result against a team in the top third of the table. Matarazzo’s men have managed only six points from their nine games against top-six teams this season.

However, Hoffenheim are sitting comfortably in eighth place, especially after last season when they were at risk of relegation for a while. The Sinsheimers got off to a very good start this term, winning six of their opening nine fixtures. They also pushed the Werkself all the way on Matchday 10, battling back from 2-0 down before Bayer 04 hit back to win 3-2. Things have been a struggle this year, though, winning only three points from their first six outings of 2024. But then they claimed back-to-back victories away at Borussia Dortmund (3-2) and at home to Werder Bremen (2-1). Following two more subsequent defeats to Stuttgart and Frankfurt, Matarazzo’s men will want to buck that trend as they visit the BayArena. TSG boast a decent record in Leverkusen, having lost just one of their last seven visits, with three wins and three draws.

Personnel

The visitors are still without striker Mergim Berisha and defender Marco John with cruciate ligament injuries. Ozan Kabak is available again following his suspension and should take his usual place on the right of the back three. John Brooks serves the final match of his two-game ban for his red card against Frankfurt. It could see Tim Drexler play on the left of the back three again like he did against Stuttgart. The Germany U19 international made an encouraging first senior start for the club in that 3-0 defeat. Florian Grillitsch, who’s been at the heart of the defence lately, remains a doubt after being ill during the week.

Anton Stach is nailed on in central midfield. Matarazzo may be able to call upon Grischa Prömel after he sat out recent weeks through injury. Dennis Geiger has also returned to team training and is set to be in the matchday squad.

TSG’s boss has a number of options out wide, with Pavel Kaderabek or Kevin Akpoguma able to play on the right. Marius Bülter, David Jurasek and Stanley Nsoki provide possibilities on the left. Freshly minted senior Germany international Maximilian Beier, who is the club’s top scorer with 12 goals, should start up front alongside a combination of Ihlas Bebou, Wout Weghorst and Andrej Kramaric. The latter has struggled for form of late, but Matarazzo has spoken of his confidence in the Croatian coming into the final weeks of the season: “We know that Andrej tends to score his goals in spring, and spring is coming.”

performers

Hoffenheim are well covered in attack, especially with the form of Beier this year. The 21-year-old returned to the club from Hannover in the summer and has been one of the Bundesliga’s standout performers with 12 goals and six assists. That form saw him called up for Germany’s friendlies against France and the Netherlands. The combination of Beier, Weghorst (five), Kramaric (eight), Bebou (four) and Robert Skov (three) has accounted for 32 of Hoffenheim’s 44 goals this campaign. The Sinsheim club are also one of the quickest teams out the blocks with nine goals in the opening 15 minutes – only two other teams have scored more in that period. They also pose a threat on the break, ranking third for goals from counter-attacks with seven.

Problems

It’s at the back where TSG have most of their issues, conceding 50 goals in just 26 games already. Only Bochum (54) and bottom side Darmstadt (65) have shipped more. If goalkeeper Baumann hadn’t saved three penalties, things could’ve been even worse. It’s therefore no wonder that his team have managed only one clean sheet all season and none in the last 21 Bundesliga fixtures. Their home form has also let them down in 2023/24 with just three wins out of 13 at the PreZero Arena. Hoffenheim are therefore one of the few clubs in the Bundesliga to have earned more points on their travels (20) than on their own turf (13). The number of suspensions has also contributed to the lack of consistency, with TSG picking up 66 yellow cards and five red already this season.

Prediction

At this stage last season, Hoffenheim were in 15th place and only three points above the drop zone. So, things are looking far more positive this year. Sitting in eighth, Europe is still very much a possibility. “Obviously, we look at the table,” said Matarazzo, whose side can no longer reach Frankfurt in sixth – seven points away – without help from results elsewhere. “We’re focusing on what’s within reach. We want to reclaim seventh place in the final eight games. We’ll approach that with all we’ve got.” The gap to there, currently occupied by Augsburg, is only two points. It could also bring qualification for the UEFA Conference League next season. However, Matarazzo is aware that the trip to Leverkusen will be tough, but a look back at the reverse fixture does provide some confidence: “We defended well and had our chances to win.” The plan at the BayArena will again be to remain compact, break quickly and enjoy spells of possession. “If we only work against the ball, then we’ll have no energy for our own attacks,” the American coach explained.