FIRST TEAM
08/22/2018

"It'll be difficult, but we're optimistic"

For the first time in their history, TSG Hoffenheim will be involved in the opening game of a Bundesliga season. The club, who finished third in the table last term, will travel to reigning champions Bayern Munich at 20:30 CET on Friday. At the pre-match press conference, coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke about the opposition, the current personnel situation and the feeling of anticipation ahead of the opening game.

Julian Nagelsmann on…

…the opposition: "They have a very good tactical plan under Niko Kovac and they're tough to crack. If you give FC Bayern too many spells of possession, then the pressure can really mount. We experienced that last season when we were leading 2-0 but still lost the match 5-2. We're more likely to face the Bayern team that beat Frankfurt in the Super Cup than the one that played in the DFB Cup."

…the personnel: "Florian Grillitsch and Havard Nordtveit returned to training this week. They've had their first sessions in a fortnight. We'll need to see whether they're ready for Friday. As for the other injured players, there are no updates."

…the anticipation ahead of the match: "It'll be very difficult, but we're optimistic. We've considered a few ideas. A victory is within the realm of possibility."

…the pre-season preparations: "We haven't conceded too many goals in the pre-season friendlies and I hope that remains the case during the season itself. On the whole, the team performed very well in pre-season."

Head-to-head record:

TSG Hoffenheim have only won two of their previous 20 clashes with FC Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, drawing five and losing 13 times. However, the men from Kraichgau have a positive record against the German record champions during Julian Nagelsmann's tenure, having obtained two wins, a draw and one defeat since the 31-year-old took over the managerial reins in Hoffenheim.

The opposition's form:

Bayern followed up their impressive 5-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Super Cup with a hard-fought and late 1-0 win over Regionalliga side SV Dochtersen/Assel in the DFB Cup. 

 

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