Matarazzo: "The appeal is great"

TSG Hoffenheim are away to Borussia Dortmund in the second round of the DFB-Pokal (18:00 CET / Live Ticker at tsg-hoffenheim.de). 1,400 TSG fans will be making their way to the Ruhr region. TSG head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo spoke about the opposition, the lessons learned from the 3-1 defeat to BVB in the Bundesliga and his feelings about the DFB-Pokal.

Pellegrino Matarazzo on…

…Borussia Dortmund: "BVB have a high degree of individual quality. Even if Dortmund have not currently been playing free-flowing football, they have been successful. Ultimately, it's about results. The ideal combination is success, development and attractiveness, but that's not always possible. There are reasons why they get points."

…the excitement for the match: "I am of course very happy. It's great when you can play in an atmosphere like that in the DFB-Pokal. We're looking forward to a top opponent and the next opportunity to test ourselves against such a team. What makes me optimistic is that I see how much our team is willing to invest. That is the foundation. Then you always have a good chance."

…the lessons learned from the league game against BVB: "We played a good game against Dortmund, we learned a lot from it. The way we approach the game tomorrow depends on the personnel. We have one more day of training to see a few things before I make a decision. You always need a good defensive display against Dortmund, that's a fact."

…the special thing about clashes with BVB: "It's a collection of moments from history that have made Dortmund a special opponent for TSG. We've experienced many great games against BVB, hence why we're also looking forward to the match tomorrow."

…his feelings about the cup: "For me, the appeal is great. I find it exciting that you can win a title in just a few games. We are now in the second round, our focus is on that. We also know that we are not the favourites and we need a top performance. We need a complete game. That's the goal, and the goal is to advance one round too."

…Pirmin Schwegler: "I really enjoy working with Pirmin. He's very honest, open and says what he thinks. You need that for a good cooperation. I'm looking forward to more."

The personnel situation:

Marco John and Dennis Geiger remain unavailable. Pavel Kadeřábek has problems with the head of his fibula and is most likely not an option for the match. Florian Grillitsch is doubtful after suffering a knock to his thigh in the Stuttgart game. Andrej Kramarić and Stanley Nsoki returned to training on Monday but are probably not yet options for the match in Dortmund. The return of Ozan Kabak will be determined after training on Tuesday.