Our next opponents: Speculation about Kramaric

Position

"It took a load off my mind," said captain Kevin Vogt – and he certainly wasn't the only one to think that way. After the 1-0 defeat in Frankfurt in the first Bundesliga game this season, Hoffenheim turned it round in the first home game under Alfred Schreuder. TSG were behind against Werder Bremen, drew level after going ahead with a man extra before right back Pavel Kaderabek headed home the winner just before the final whistle to avoid a potential bad start. "There's still a lot to do and there's plenty of room for improvement," said Schreuder even after the victory – and he may well be right. No wonder: There was a real turning point for TSG in the summer. Julian Nagelsmann left the club after three and a half successful years as head coach to join Leipzig. The Dutchman Schreuder took over a team that has to cope with losing a number of key players. What did help was Schreuder, who made a significant contribution to a great season for Ajax as assistant coach, had been assistant to Nagelsmann for two years at Hoffenheim and he wanted to play a similar style of football. To that extent, there should not be a massive change.

Personnel

Not only Schreuder had to follow in such big footsteps as the new signings at Hoffenheim had to compensate for the loss of a complete backbone of key players. Kerem Demirbay and Nadiem Amiri are both at the Werkself and are set to meet their former team-mates for the first time on Saturday, while Nico Schulz (Borussia Dortmund) and Joelinton (Newcastle United) are another two key performers to leave the club. Diadie Samessekou is one player to fill central midfield role in place of Demirbay and Amiri. The Mali international is Hoffenheim's marquee transfer this summer but he only made a brief appearance against Frankfurt. The 23-year-old could be in the starting line-up for the first time against Bayer 04. Another returnee should play a key role: Sebastian Rudy, on loan from Schalke 04, is back in the Kraichgau where he used to produce some of his best performances of his career. It is hoped the departure of Joelinton can be made up for by the arrival of the top scorer in the Danish league Robert Skov (from Copenhagen) and, above all, winger Ihlas Bebou, signed from Hannover 96. The Togolese scored his first Bundesliga goal the TSG against Bremen.

Problems

Somewhat surprisingly, Bebou started up front against Bremen – not in his ideal position but as a result of the personnel matter regarding Andrej Kramaric (pictured above). The Croat was a free spirit in the Hoffenheim attack last season and with 17 goals in the Bundesliga the top scorer in the team. But Kramaric has been sidelined to date – and speculation surrounding the knee problems of the World Cup runner-up continues. The 28-year-old underwent keyhole surgery back home in Croatia on Monday to discover the cause of his problems. The highly talented striker missed out in the pre-season and it looks like his return to the pitch will be even further delayed, meaning Schreuder will not be able to count on Kramaric in Leverkusen – a bitter blow.

Potential

Hoffenheim continue to reap the rewards of excellent youth development. Against Bremen there were three youngsters in the starting eleven in Stefan Posch, Dennis Geiger and Christoph Baumgartner, all of them previous youth players for TSG. The club management have high expectations of midfielder Geiger in particular. He has been at TSG since he was 11 years old and in the opening two games of the Bundesliga campaign he has stood out after being plagued by injury last season. It is very possible that Geiger will follow in the footsteps of Nadiem Amiri, who also came from the Hoffenheim academy. One thing is clear: Just like his predecessor Nagelsmann, Schreuder is placing emphasis on young players in tune with the club's philosophy.

Prediction

After the watershed in the summer, the team will need time to again start playing the exciting football that the trademark of Hoffenheim in recent seasons. There is no doubt the squad still has the necessary potential. When and in what form Kramaric returns will be incredibly important for TSG. If that process does not take too long in the early stages for Schreuder then Hoffenheim can be in the running for a European finish again.