Andreas Müller: “Our aim is three points”

The fact that the teams are so close to one another in the table makes this match all the more exciting. Stuttgart have struggled of late and are on a run of five consecutive defeats, form which has seen them fall to 14th in the table. Hoffenheim on the other hand, are in the relegation play-off spot but have improved their performances recently. So far, 27,000 tickets have been sold for the match.

Manager Marco Kurz is hoping for a similarly positive and rousing performance to the one at home last week against Freiburg. “We want to make sure that we show the same amount of passion and drive in front of our own fans. It's a really important game for both teams and one that requires full commitment. Unlike recent matches though, we want to start and finish games a lot better,” said the Hoffenheim manager.

Important game for both

In the reverse of this fixture, TSG put in an impressive performance, winning 3-0 thanks to goals from Takashi Usami, Fabian Johnson and Joselu. “Stuttgart are fully aware of that result though and will react accordingly. Our aim is three points,” said Müller. Marco Kurz is expecting a difficult encounter: “Stuttgart are not in the form they were a few weeks ago but neither are we. Also, I don't see it as an advantage that they played in the Europa League midweek. We are concentrating on our work and we must make sure that our attacking strength, something we've shown in every game so far, is present right until the end of the match. We must make the most of our chances too,” said the Hoffenheim manager.

Alongside long-term injured Sebastian Rudy, Sejad Salihovic, Sven Schipplock, Michael Gregoritsch and Stefan Thesker, Luis Advincula is also unavailable despite returning to training after his car accident on Saturday. Chris is also unfit and will be out for between six and eight weeks with a syndesmosis tear.

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