Against the superior team of the current season, Bayer Leverkusen, TSG Hoffenheim hopes to stop the trend after two defeats in a row so as not to go on a negative run again. It’s not out of the question that Tim Drexler will get another chance at probation.
Hoffenheim’s youngster Tim Drexler could also be in the starting line-up in Leverkusen. IMAGO/Avanti
Because this Saturday (3:30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker), John Anthony Brooks, who was actually seeded, has to watch after his red card in the 1:3 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt. After his starting debut in the 3-0 loss against VfB Stuttgart, Drexler received great praise from both goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and Pellegrino Matarazzo. It is quite possible that the coach in the Rhineland will once again rely on the 19-year-old, who was one of the best in an indisposed TSG team against VfB and was allowed to play 90 minutes in the German U19s’ 2-0 win against Turkey on Tuesday.
In any case, position competitor Kevin Akpoguma did not impose himself, Stanley Nsoki was at least stable after his substitution against Stuttgart – but that cannot be said about the Frenchman given the previous games. Ozan Kabak is likely to be on the right after serving his yellow-red ban, while there is a lot to be said for Florian Grillitsch in the center of the three-man chain.
Hard work for the defense
No matter who Matarazzo chooses: Leverkusen will have to work hard, especially on defense. In the first leg, the 46-year-old tried with a massed, but still dynamic center, in which Grischa Prömel, Finn-Ole Becker and Anton Stach were not supposed to close the spaces with purely defensive thinkers. In addition, the coach had two strong counter-attacking forces in Marius Bülter and Maximilian Beier on the pitch alongside Wout Weghorst, who was supposed to hold balls up front for those coming up. An approach that almost worked, at least in terms of results. The Kraichgauers temporarily equalized 0:2, but in the end they still had to admit defeat 2:3. Matarazzo could choose a similar approach to constantly involve the leaders’ strong midfield around Granit Xhaka, Florian Wirtz and Alejandro Grimaldo in duels.
But the question will also be: Who will provide relief that the TSG defense will need? This is where the wings are in demand, i.e. Pavel Kaderabek on the right. And on the left? Does Matarazzo rely on Bülter like he did in the first half of the season? The ex-Schalke player would be an option with his speed. However, the fact that he is a risk defensively was shown in the recent 2-1 win against Werder Bremen. David Jurasek, who celebrated his starting eleven debut against VfB like Drexler, also had considerable difficulties in the reverse gear against the Swabians. After all, the Czech at least hinted at his potential offensively.
2024-03-27 09:43:13
#TSG #Bayer #Drexlers #test
