FIRST TEAM
11/01/2020

Hoeness: ''It's going to be a tough task''

TSG Hoffenheim will close out Matchday 6 of the Bundesliga on Monday evening when they host Union Berlin at the PreZero Arena (20:30 CET/liveticker at tsg-hoffenheim.de). In his press conference before the clash with the capital-city club, TSG head coach Sebastian Hoeness shared his thoughts on the personnel situation, the opposition and the reduced training week.

Sebastian Hoeness on…

…the personnel situation: ''We coped well with the trip to Gent. We didn't pick up any new injuries. Benjamin Hübner is still out with his foot problem. The three players who were in quarantine are now free again. We're going to gradually reintegrate them and take no risks. None of them will have a part to play in the Union game.''

…the opposition: ''Union have made huge progress from last season. They've developed very well from a footballing perspective. They've found a healthy balance of physicality and footballing ability. They are a difficult side to go up against. We're prepared for that. We'll have to go to the limit to get the win. It's going to be a tough task.''

…the short training week: ''It's always a challenge for us coaches. We sit down to discuss how much energy we can put into it. We all have to slow each other down so that the lads don't become overloaded. We've set out a tactical focus in advance of the match so that everything can go according to plan tomorrow.''

…the performance against Gent: ''We found our balance again. In the preceding matches we were lacking in efficiency, but that's something we were able to improve. We also showed defensive stability in the matches before that. We dominated the game until the last ten minutes. Now we have to build on that.''

The opposition's form:

After opening the season with a 3-1 loss at home to FC Augsburg, Union Berlin have managed to string together a four-match unbeaten run. The Berliners have a total of six points to their name and find themselves placed 12th in the table going into Matchday 6. 

Head-to-head record:

The two fixtures last season marked the first time in history that the two clubs had met. TSG came out on top in both encounters, scoring six goals and conceding none in the process. 

Match facts and statistics »

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