Markus Gisdol: “We have to keep our foot on the gas”

Markus Gisdol made that quite clear in his pre-match press conference ahead of Hoffenheim's Bundesliga meeting with Mainz 05 (Saturday, March 15th at 15:30 CET). “29 points doesn't put us safe just yet. You can still get relegated with 29 points. If I notice that anyone has dropped even one percent, then I will intervene. We have to keep our foot on the gas.”

That applies for both the rest of the season and the upcoming home match against Mainz on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel's side are currently seventh in the table and have collected 14 points from their seven games since the winter break. Nevertheless, TSG are playing at home, where they have comfortably won their last three league matches. “The results have done us some good, but we also needed them,” said Gisdol.

“Put them in a spin”

The TSG boss has a lot of respect for the 05ers. “For me, Mainz are neither a small Bundesliga team or a surprise package. They invested a lot of money in Ja-Cheol Koo in the winter break, showing the direction that the club is heading in. They have been playing consistently for years, they're regularly in the safety of mid-table and are knocking on the door of the Europa League this season.”

So the manager is expecting a tough challenge this weekend. “We want to put them in a spin and play in a way they can't find an answer to. But that won't be easy,” explained the gaffer. “Mainz are extremely flexible tactically and can change their formation at any time in a game without losing their own style. That makes our preparation difficult. An encounter like this requires us to focus on our own performance even more so than usual,” added Gisdol.

Abraham and Strobl doubts

Gisdol wasn't in a position to confirm the overall personnel situation in his press conference. One thing is for sure though; Sven Schipplock will miss out. The striker picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Schalke last weekend and will only be back available for selection against Bayer Leverkusen on March 23rd.

David Abraham, who has been battling with adductor problems for weeks, trained with the team again for the first time on Wednesday. His availability on Saturday is just as doubtful as Tobias Strobl's though. The midfielder rejoined team training on Thursday after having completed a reduced individual training programme following a mild concussion he suffered against Schalke. For all the uncertainties surrounding those players, you can be sure that Markus Gisdol will demand everything from the team he sends out.

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