"Hoffenheim will want to show a different side to themselves against us"

Anthony, you're away to TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday. What kind of game are you expecting?

"It will definitely be another hard-fought game, like many are in the Bundesliga. Hoffenheim are within touching distance of the Champions League places and will definitely want to show a different side to themselves after the defeat away to Hertha BSC. Hoffenheim are the clear favourites but we'll do everything to ultimately get a result."

Where do the strengths of this Hoffenheim team lie?

"TSG are very strong at home, they have that in common with my team. That said, Hoffenheim have won only two of their last five home games – fortunately against our relegation rivals, Bielefeld and Stuttgart. They are very strong in footballing terms and in terms of their link-up play, with a lot of individual quality. But from our point of view, the same applies to the other 16 teams in the Bundesliga as well. In that respect, we know what to expect."

You won the reverse fixture 2-0. What are your memories of the match?

"It was one of many intense matches – with crazy twists and turns. It remained 0-0 for a relatively long time, then our super subs Milos Pantovic and Soma Novothny teamed up to make it 1-0. A short while later, Manuel Riemann missed a penalty and at the end Pantovic made it 2-0 from over 66 metres and the stadium went mad – pure goosebumps!"

You have 32 points on the board after 27 rounds of matches, did you expect to have such a successful season following promotion?

"It is certainly amazing, but we've earned the points. We needed a few rounds of games to settle into the Bundesliga and also suffered an historic defeat when we lost 7-0 in Munich. But our fans, who have given us fantastic support, even applauded us after that hammering. The cohesion and the unity within the team are our strengths. But to answer the question: we hoped for it but didn't expect it."

How confident are you of keeping your place in the division?

"Absolutely confident. We're convinced that we can do it. But there is still a rough ride to come, because every Bundesliga match is an intense test. It might go right down to the wire."

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