FIRST TEAM
04/18/2024

Matarazzo: "We want to show a reaction"

TSG Hoffenheim will welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to the PreZero Arena on Saturday (15:30 CEST / Live Ticker at tsg-hoffenheim.de). At the pre-match press conference, head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo spoke about the defeat in Mainz, the opposition and the performance fluctuations.

Pellegrino Matarazzo on…

…the opposition: "Gladbach press compactly and are strong on the counter. They are very calm in possession of the ball. They're a controlled team. Gladbach are very strong from corners, but we've been warned about that."

…the match against Gladbach: "The team are capable of showing a reaction. We stood back up on several occasions after setbacks last season. Before Mainz, we played a good game against Augsburg. We want to be compact and make the right decisions both on the ball and off the ball. If we do that, we'll pick up three points."

…the defeat in Mainz: "It occupied me and the team for a very long time. The match still hurts. We wanted to bring that pain into the training week. Mainz were simply much more intense and wanted it more. They won every important challenge. We fed Mainz and invited them onto us. We're still very unsatisfied and want to show a reaction."

…the lessons from the game: "We managed to highlight the problems with just a few scenes. The team knows what was lacking. It wasn't a pleasant week for anyone, but maybe that's exactly right."

…the performance fluctuations: "Almost every team in the league is inconsistent. That's part and parcel of professional football. We need to deal with all situations, but we allow ourselves to be thrown off balance too frequently. That's a topic for us and we're working on it."

…Andrej Kramarić's upcoming milestone: "It's a fantastic number. 250 Bundesliga matches is a real lot. Andrej has decided many games with his quality. When Andrej is on the pitch, he can take the game by the scruff of the neck. I hope that he does that on Saturday too."

The personnel situation:

Stanley Nsoki remains sidelined, as do the long-term injury absentees. In addition, Dennis Geiger has minor problems with his adductors and is not an option for Saturday.

The opposition's form:

Gladbach are having an ordinary season. Following an overhaul in the summer and many transfers, coach Gerardo Seoane's team currently occupy 11th position in the table. However, the gap to 16th place is only five points.

Head-to-head record:

Gladbach have come out on top in each of the past four matches. TSG have not claimed a victory against Borussia since the second half of the 2020/21 season (3-2 in April 2021).

Match facts and statistics »

Download Now!
Print Page to top