Hoeness: ''I'm backing us to cause an upset''

Sebastian Hoeness on…

…the personnel situation: ''Sebastian Rudy and Kevin Akpoguma had to come off injured against Leverkusen. We'll have to see if they'll be fit again in time for Friday. Other than that there are no changes.''

…the opposition: ''They are an absolutely top side. They could still finish first in the league and also win the DFB Cup. They've been very consistent throughout the entire season. That shows how strong a team Leipzig are.''

…Friday's game: ''Of course I'm backing us to cause an upset. We have to be strong in the tackle, that will allow us to find our feet in the game early on. Then it will come down to whether or not we're able to make the most of counter-attacking opportunities after winning the ball. We want to have more success in that side of our game again.''

…the situation in the league table: ''We're well aware of the situation we're in and we know we have to pick up points. You could see that in our performance on Monday. At the same time, we don't want to create a sense of panic. We trust our team and their capabilities.''

…the lack of chances against Leverkusen: ''We're in the top third of the league when it comes to chances created. However, our problem has come in making the most of them. We've also been fragile at the back recently. With that in mind, we didn't want to leave ourselves exposed against a strong Leverkusen attack. It was an intense battle. Of course we want to create more chances, but we've shown we're capable of that this season.''

The opposition's form:

Second-placed Leipzig find themselves five points behind leaders Bayern Munich going into the final stretch of the season. Coach Julian Nagelsmann's side lost 1-0 at home to Bayern in the top-of-the-table match-up two weeks ago. 

Head-to-head record:

TSG haven't won any of their last six meetings with Leipzig. The last Hoffenheim win - a 5-2 triumph on 21 April 2018 -  came almost exactly three years ago.

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