FIRST TEAM
08/17/2017

#TSGSVW preview: "The Bundesliga is back"

Finally. Bundesliga action. The season is getting underway. TSG begin the campaign on Saturday at 15:30 (CEST) in the WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena in their tenth season in the top flight of German football. Achtzehn99.de and Julian Nagelsmann look ahead to the match against Werder Bremen.

Julian Nagelsmann on…

… the opposition.

Bremen had a very good pre-season and they set up in a 3-5-2 formation. The last time we played them, when we won 5-3 in Bremen, they played with a different system. I don’t think they’ll play with that system against us again. They are a very good side and if they carry on from what they did in the second half of last season, I’m sure they’ll survive the drop easily. Delaney and Gondorf as number eights are very good at intercepting the ball and in defensive midfield, Eggestein is a very strong player. Their team is just generally very solid. We’re expecting a tough game. They’ve done a good job in the transfer market and they’ve brought up brilliant players into the first team from their youth squad. Werder have put together a very good team.

… the personnel.

All of the players are fit. The first leg against Liverpool was very intense and it definitely set us back a bit in terms of fitness but we’ve got enough time to recover. Despite this, there will be changes for the Bremen game because of the efforts that the players exerted on Tuesday. I’m reluctant to call it resting players, because to me, that sounds like I would be replacing a good player with a bad player. That’s not the case for us – our squad depth means that if we make changes, the guy brought in is just as good a player as the one he replaces.

… the sporting situation

The Bundesliga is the biggest competition in Germany. It’s always going to carry on into the following season. Therefore we can only focus on our game against Bremen. The Champions League is a reward for what we achieved last season. Yesterday I asked Benni Hübner how he felt and he said, “I’m itching to get going. The Bundesliga is finally back.” That’s exactly it.

… more on the sporting situation

The game against Liverpool was a real test and it was exciting to see how we fared. We did well. Compared to how we were a year ago, we played much better defensively. We made the most of the possession that we had in the first half on Tuesday. I liked that.

Head-to-Head record:

TSG’s last win against Werder wasn’t long ago. On the 33rd matchday of last season, TSG won 5-3 in the Weserstadion. Overall, however, the head-to-head tilts in Werder’s favour. TSG have played Werder 18 times. Werder have won nine times, to Hoffenheim's two, with seven draws.

Werder Bremen's form:

Werder had a mixed pre-season, with varying results across nine friendlies. Werder tested their wits against big teams such as Bayern Munich, West Ham, Ajax, Valencia and Wolves. They progressed to the next round of the DFB Pokal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Würzburg Kickers. 

Key battle:

When TSG are at home they like to keep possession of the ball. Fans can therefore expect Hoffenheim to take control on Saturday and see how Bremen react. The visitors are expected to sit deep and let Julian Nagelsmann's side have the lion's share of possession. Julian Nagelsmann said, "Our aim this year is to make the most of chances from the small pockets of space we will get. That all starts with the game on Saturday." 

Match facts and statistics »

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