Second-tier side with a surprise in them

The next friendly is approaching: TSG Hoffenheim will play their final fixture before departing for training camp in Kitzbühel (27 July to 3 August). Their opponents at the FC Zuzenhausen ground will be SV Elversberg.

Last season, SV Elversberg finished eleventh in the Bundesliga 2 as a promoted team. After a weaker start to the season, the Saarland side fought their way up the table and remained in a secure mid-table position throughout the rest of the season. Horst Steffen has been the coach at Elversberg since October 2018. Under the former Bundesliga player, the team have successfully progressed from the Regionalliga to the second-highest tier of the German football pyramid.

Unlike many other club names in Germany, the SV in SV Elversberg does not stand for Sportverein, but rather Spielvereinigung. This means they are die SV Elversberg and not der SV Elversberg. In Frederik Schmahl and Semih Sahin, there are also two players with a Hoffenheim past in the SV Elversberg squad. Schmahl moved from TSG's second team to Elversberg this summer, while Sahin has been playing in the Saarland since 2021 and also came from ‘Hoffe zwo’.

TSG played a pre-season friendly against SV Elversberg last year. At that time, the second-tier side prevailed 2-1 in Heilbronn. Elversberg's season starts at the beginning of August, two weeks before TSG. For Horst Steffen's team, the match against TSG is the penultimate friendly in their preseason schedule. 

There is good news for all fans unable to attend the match in Zuzenhausen: TSG.TV will be providing a live stream of the game.

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