Markus Gisdol: "Both teams play intensely"

Markus Gisdol on…

… the opposition:

Leverkusen remind me a bit of us at this stage last season: They always give it their all but don't always come away with the rewards. Despite that, they are third and currently have six points more than we picked up in the entire first half of the season last time out. They have players with great individual quality and Calhanoglu is a constant threat from set pieces. We therefore need to make sure we don't concede many free kicks and defend well. On the whole, they are quite similar to us – pressing and intensity is important to both teams.

…personnel:

Niklas Süle's injury has affected all of us. He's a top guy and we will support him. These things happen in sport. We have a good strength in depth and aren't dealing with too many injuries at the moment. We must and will look after Niklas like we did with Jin-Su Kim, even though the injuries aren't linked. Niklas was a crucial player.

…the current situation:

We're on schedule at the moment – we're on the right path. The team is settled, we're picking up points, are in the top half of the table and are playing good football. Our fans, as well as neutral ones, enjoy the way we play and the fact that we take risks. We are continuously looking to create more openings in front of goal, which means that we may concede more goals than some teams. Nevertheless, I wouldn't change that.

Tobias Strobl on…

… the opposition:

To start off with, the ghost goal is history. We got over that a long time ago and it won't be playing on our minds ahead of the game. Leverkusen are a strong team, you could see that on Sunday. They had Gladbach all over the place in the first half. They press like we do and are always trying to win the second ball quickly, which at times means they are quite compressed. We need to make the most of those moments.

…the current situation:

The only thing we're lacking compared to a team like Leverkusen is consistency. We were weak against Köln and Gladbach and need to improve on our shortcomings in games like that. We want to head into the winter break on a high and if we implement our game plan effectively against Leverkusen, I'm sure that we will be able to grab three points. We then face Berlin but we're not thinking about that yet.

The upcoming game:

The teams have met 13 times before – twelve of the games have been in the league, one in the DFB Cup. Hoffenheim have come out on top twice: In the first and most recent meetings between the two sides. The head-to-head record would look more promising had the issues with the ghost goal not arisen – one of the most stunning moments in recent Bundesliga history. Leverkusen have won ten of the other eleven meetings, while there has also been one draw. We'll concentrate on Hoffenheim's wins: The first time the teams met was in the DFB Cup in 2003. TSG, who at the time were playing in the Regionalliga, beat Leverkusen (who had qualified for the previous year's Champions League final) 3-2 to cause a huge upset. The game in Leverkusen last season also saw Hoffenheim win 3-2 thanks to a late goal from Anthony Modeste. Another 3-2 win on Wednesday would be great…

The opponents:

Leverkusen are currently third with just two more games until the winter break. What more could you ask for? Roger Schmidt's side are one of the best in the Bundesliga at the moment. They have players with incredible individual talent: Karim Bellarabi, Stefan Kießling, Hakan Calhanoglu and Heung-Min Son. However, they have only picked up three wins in their last ten games, although there have been five draws and only two defeats. Leverkusen aren't impossible to beat.

Key battles:

Bellarabi, Son, Calhanoglu – Bayer 04 have a talented front three. Between them, they have scored or assisted 22 goals. One of the key aims for the TSG defence will be to stop this trio. The game in Sinsheim will be a meeting of two teams who play a similar brand of football: Trying to win the ball back quickly, a high attacking line and quick breaks are all important elements of the footballing identity of both teams. They will fight equally hard to pick up the three points. In games like this, desire and the will to win are likely to make the difference.

Match facts and statistics »