Hoffenheim host Werder Bremen on Sunday evening in the Bundesliga in a clash for seventh place in the hunt for a Europa Conference League spot.
Match Overview
TSG Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim head into this tie following a comeback victory over Borussia Dortmund last matchday.
Two second half Maximilian Beier goals were enough for the Sinsheim side to grab a 3-2 victory and move into 7th place.
At only twenty-one-years-old, Beier has a bright future ahead of him as he has already bagged ten goals this Bundesliga season.
Before their clash with Dortmund, Hoffenheim had not won a match in nine outings.
Lastly, ahead of the clash with Werder Bremen, coach Pellegrino Matarazzo said: "We're facing the third-best team this year in Bremen. We need to work hard for it again. Our foundation remains to be solid and look to get forward."
Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen have lost just one in their past ten Bundesliga matches (against Heidenheim on matchday 21) heading into this away tie.
No team in the top half of the Bundesliga have scored less than Werder Bremen's 32 goals this season in the league.
A contender for Julian Nagelsmann's Euro 2024 squad, Marvin Ducksch has nine goals and four assists for Werder Bremen this season.
He is expected to take the captain's armband this weekend due to Marco Friedl's injury. However, one risk Werder Bremen will have to take with Ducksch is a disciplinary one as no player apart from Leonardo Bittencourt has received more yellow cards than him this season in the Bundesliga.
Ahead of Sunday's clash, Bremen coach Ole Werner said: "They have full internationals in almost every position. They have a good mix of quality on the ball, power and speed, and are clear in their patterns of play."
Team News
TSG Hoffenheim
Robert Skov is out with a thigh injury for Hoffenheim. Both Mergim Berisha and Kevin Akpoguma are out with knee and back injuries respectively.
Grischa Prömel and Marco John are both also unavailable for the tie. Lastly, Andrej Kramarić is a doubt due to a knock sustained against Dortmund.
Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen have a long line of injuries with the following all out for the Hoffenheim clash: Marco Friedl (ankle injury), Isak Hansen-Aarøen (thigh injury), Leon Opitz (ankle issue), Amos Pieper (ankle issue), Niklas Stark (hip problem), Miloš Veljković (knee injury).
Also, Cimo Röcker is a doubt ahead of the clash.
Predicted Lineups
TSG Hoffenheim
Baumann (c); Kabak, Grillitsch, Nsoki; Kadeřábek, Stach, Tohumcu, Jurásek; Bebou; Weghorst, Beier
Werder Bremen
Zetterer; Malatini, Groß, Jung; Lynen; Weiser, Schmid, Stage, Agu; Njinmah, Ducksch (c)
Match Result
Late Andrej Kramarić Goal Stuns Köln As Points Are Shared
