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Stuttgart preview: “We aren't capable of boring football”
Hoffenheim manager Markus Gisdol doesn't feet that the situation at Stuttgart is all that important for his side. “We're doing well to focus on our own performance,” said Gisdol ahead of this weekend's match.
When asked about his expectations of his players at the moment, Gisdol said: “We can provide a spectacle. We aren't capable of boring football.” The past few games are testament to that evaluation. The almost intoxicating matches (2-2 draw against Nürnberg, 5-1 win in Hamburg and 3-3 draw against Freiburg) are still very much fresh in the memory.
Gisdol has taken the positives from these results: “We have shown that we are capable of scoring plenty of goals in every game.” His team will go to Stuttgart with the hope of doing that as well. The aim is to give the fans a show. “If it's a good game, where we've put everything I have asked from my players into practice but we still come out with a draw, I can live with that,” said Gisdol.
Stuttgart difficult to assess
Nevertheless, a win in Stuttgart would be great. Three points would see TSG establish themselves in the top half of the table. The manager by no means believes that it will be a walk in the park for his side though. “We can't make the mistake of underestimating VfB Stuttgart,” warned Gisdol. Stuttgart have lost all three of their Bundesliga matches this season and also failed to qualify for the Europa League this week.
The change of manager from Bruno Labbadia to Thomas Schneider makes them hard to predict. “We don't know which players he will favour, so there's no knowing what team he'll play. That makes it particularly hard to assess them.”
Sejad Salihovic will be missing for Gisdol on Sunday. He has been suspended for three matches following his red card against Freiburg. Sebastian Rudy (hip injury), on the other hand, is available for selection again. “He rejoined training this week. I can't think of a reason why he shouldn't be able to play,” revealed Gisdol.
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