Our next opponents: Kramaric and Co. dream of Champions League qualification

Position

TSG Hoffenheim produced another demonstration of impressive strength in the 5-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Wednesday night, once again impressed across the board and were far superior to the visitors both in attack and defence. "It was a deserved win for TSG, even in terms of the scoreline," admitted the Foals coach Eugen Polanski. The hosts already led 4-0 at half-time, with Andrej Kramaric once again standing out from a strong team with his hat-trick. The Croatia international put TSG ahead with a penalty and then struck twice more shortly before the break. His third goal, a lob from an acute angle, belongs in the wonder goal category. It was a special evening for Kramaric, and not just because of his three goals. The 34-year-old made his 302nd Bundesliga appearance against Gladbach, replacing his compatriot and friend Zvonimir Soldo as the Croatian player with the most games in the Bundesliga. No wonder Kramaric raved afterwards about an "unbelievable day".

TSG Hoffenheim's performances on the pitch this season are not incredible but are impressive. Of the last ten Bundesliga matches,TSG have won seven, drawn twice and only lost once (a 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund). They have picked up 23 out of a possible 30 points. The 5-1 win against Gladbach was the fifth home win in a row, with Christian Ilzer's team scoring at least three goals in those games. But Hoffenheim not only shine at home. The Blue and Whites are also in third place in the away table with 15 points behind Bayern (21) and Dortmund (16). With the win against Gladbach, TSG overtook Bayer 04 in the overall table. Ahead of this Saturday's clash with the Werkself, Hoffenheim are in fifth place on 30 points, one point ahead of the visitors from Leverkusen, who are sixth.

Hoffenheim started the new year a little late with their biggest win of the season to date after the game at Werder Bremen was postponed due to the weather conditions. "We're enjoying today's success, but tomorrow we should wake up with a huge appetite for Leverkusen," said Christian Ilzer, looking ahead to the next home game immediately after the 5-1 win over Gladbach. Hat-trick hero Andrej Kramaric is hungry for success: "We deserve to achieve something big this season. We now have to recover quickly and prepare for Saturday. Then we'll give our all again. We still have a lot of games ahead of us, but if we want to play in the Champions League next season, we also have to beat opponents like Leverkusen."

Personnel

At the beginning of January this year, TSG Hoffenheim signed the USA youth international Cole Campbell from Borussia Dortmund on loan. The 19-year-old winger has great pace and is strong in one-v-one duels. In the 3-0 win in a friendly against Schweinfurt, the new signing immediately demonstrated his goal-scoring ability netting the final goal for TSG. However, Campbell was sidelined against Mönchengladbach due to ankle problems and is unlikely to be fit to play on Saturday. Instead, AFCON returnee Bazoumana Touré could start on the left flank. The Ivorian, who has tremendous pace, has the highest top speed in the league at 35.98 km/h after Oliver Burke (Union Berlin, 36.01 km/h), is strong when dribbling and, with five assists after Wouter Burger (6), is Hoffenheim's best provider.

Hoffenheim will also have to make do without centre-back Koki Machida (cruciate ligament rupture) and former Leverkusen player Adam Hlozek (calf injury) against the Werkself. However, centre-back Albian Hajdari could return to the starting XI after serving a one-match suspension. Midfielder Grischa Prömel, who came on as a substitute against Gladbach, is also a candidate for the starting line-up on Saturday.

Problems

At the start of the Hinrunde, TSG were susceptible to counter-attacks in some games and had problems in defending set pieces. This was the case in the first two home defeats against Eintracht Frankfurt (1-3) and Bayern Munich (1-4). Eintracht capitalised on two quick counter-attacks to score twice against Hoffenheim. The Ilzer team missed too many chances against Bayern in a strong first half, while the record champions took the lead from a corner kick and then converted two penalties. "We need to improve, especially when it comes to set pieces against us," said Ilzer after the Bayern game. In the 1-0 defeat against FC Köln, the third and final home defeat this term, the goal conceded resulted from losing possession in midfield and a subsequent quick counter-attack by the Cologne side.

Performers

TSG go into every game with a high level of intensity. Lots of deep runs, lots of sprints, high pressing: Hoffenheim always go all out to win. And despite all their power, they play in a very balanced manner. This is not least due to the club's good transfer activity in the summer. Christian Ilzer has not only managed to integrate the numerous new signings, but also to turn them into key elements of the TSG game. In defence, Albian Hajdari (FC Lugano), Bernardo (VfL Bochum 1848) and Vladimir Coufal (West Ham United) provide a great deal of stability. While TSG had the second weakest defence in the league last season with 68 goals conceded after 34 games, goalkeeper and captain Oliver Baumann has only had to pick the ball out of the net 21 times in 16 games this season - the fourth best number in the table.

Two newcomers have also made themselves indispensable in midfield: The holding midfielder Leon Avdullahu (FC Basel) is a key player with his passing, running and tackling ability. It is no wonder the 21-year-old Kosovan has started all 18 games so far. There is hardly an attack that does not run through Hoffenheim's number 7. The same applies to Wouter Burger, who joined TSG from Stoke City in the summer. The Dutchman poses a greater goal threat than Avdullahu and he has already netted three goals.

Tim Lemperle (FC Köln) and Fisnik Asllani also bear responsibility for finding the back of the net. The latter is TSG's top scorer and provider with six goals and four assists. Asllani returned to Hoffenheim in the summer after a loan spell at SV 07 Elversberg - and he celebrated a perfect debut together with Lemperle on matchday 1: The two strikers scored to secure a 2-1 win for TSG at the Werkself. And then there's club legend Andrej Kramaric, who, like Lemperle and Asllani, also has six goals (three assists). Overall, Hoffenheim's 34 goals - together with Werkself - now make them the third-best attack in the league behind Bayern Munich (66) and Eintracht Frankfurt (35).