Markus Gisdol:
"It doesn't matter who scores"

Markus Gisdol on…

… the opposition:

In the short-term, it's naturally a very different Mainz. I was surprised by their choice to sack the manager and I can't say much about new man at the helm Martin Schmidt. I don't know him so that makes it difficult to analyse how he's going to set his team up to play. We have looked at the game against Frankfurt and have tried to draw some conclusions on his style of play. Mainz are now playing away from home for the first time since the managerial change and there is obviously uncertainty over the approach they'll take. For this reason, we need to focus on our game.

…personnel:

Flu is currently affecting all Bundesliga teams but luckily we haven't been hit as hard as some of the others. I personally am feeling well again and Steven Zuber has returned to team training. The only person who is still struggling with illness is our fitness coach Nicklas Dietrich. We have a fully fit squad available to choose from on Saturday. Sejad Salihovic took a slight knock in training but it's not a big problem and won't rule him out for the match.

…the current situation:

After a shaky start, the team are back on track. We have finally displayed some emotion and confidence – these are essential for the upcoming games. We are currently in a position where we are able to rotate our team, which is good. We've already been doing that for a while up front and the reason why is simple: We have three attackers who are all in similar form so we split the playing time between them. I don't think the fact that the three of them aren't scoring regularly at the moment is overly serious. What's important is that we're creating chances. It doesn't matter who scores. I'm sure that our forwards will be scoring again soon enough.

The upcoming game:

The statistics don't look good. Hoffenheim have only won once against FSV in eleven Bundesliga games. That victory came in Mainz in September 2011 when Roberto Firmino scored the first goal in a 4-0 win. It's fair to say that Mainz have proved to be a traditionally tricky opponent. Since Markus Gisdol took over, two of the three encounters have resulted in draws. The TSG manager would certainly be pleased to get his first head-to-head victory. A win would also be a fantastic birthday present for Sebastian Rudy.

The opponents' form:

A large question mark remains over the opponents' form. Mainz sacked manager Kasper Hjulmand following the 4-2 defeat in Dortmund. His successor Martin Schmidt has only been in charge for one game – the derby against Frankfurt. FSV put in a strong performance to come back from 1-0 down to win 3-1. Was it a flash in the pan after the managerial change or a return to better form? Nobody knows yet for sure. The 05ers had only previously won once in 13 games.

The key battles:

Will the game between TSG and Mainz be decided by a header? Aerial battles, both in defence and attack, could be where the key to success lies for Hoffenheim. They are stronger than Mainz in this area. Gisdol's team have already scored five headed goals this season compared to Mainz's two. Hoffenheim also have a stronger defence in the air. Mainz have conceded nine goals from headers already this season, while Hoffenheim have only let in five.

Match facts and statistics »