Hoeness: ''The lads are making a good impression''

Sebastian Hoeness on…

…Saturday's game: ''We're playing at home against a team that were in good form before the break. We want to win the game and keep up our momentum in the Bundesliga after the win in Mönchengladbach.''

…the personnel situation: ''Unfortunately, Florian Grillitsch and Dennis Geiger are unavailable. Dennis Geiger will be out for a fairly long period of time. It's very hard to take, both for him and for us. The game has come around slightly too soon for Pavel Kadeřábek. We also have our long-term absentees. However, Diadie Samassékou and Jacob Bruun Larsen are both fit again.''

…the break over the past few days: ''The lads had five days off. The break definitely helped them, even if it felt a bit too short. We're currently fresher than we have been for a long time and have had a full week of training. It's a new feeling, and it's done us a lot of good. The lads are making a good impression.''

…his sporting hopes for the new year: ''We want to get a sense of automaticity in our training sessions. We also hope to enjoy a stable personnel situation over the next few weeks, with fewer players out injured.''

The opposition's form:

Freiburg finished the year on a five-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga, including three wins in their last three matches. However, coach Christian Streich's side were knocked out in the Second Round of the DFB Cup after a 1-0 loss away to VfB Stuttgart. 

Head-to-head record:

Freiburg got the better of TSG in both fixtures last season. The two victories mean the Breisgau-based club have won six of the 20 Bundesliga meetings between the two sides, giving them a narrow advantage in the head-to-head record (five wins for TSG, nine draws).

Match facts and statistics »