Ilzer: "We want to find consistency and stability"

TSG Hoffenheim will host VfB Stuttgart in the sold-out PreZero Arena on Sunday (19:30 CET/liveticker on tsg-hoffenheim.de). Ahead of the clash with the Swabians, head coach Christian Ilzer spoke about the win in Bremen, the defence and Luca Philipp.

Christian Ilzer on...

...the win in Bremen: "The team was incredibly happy, you could see how we worked as a team to get the win. We embodied the attitude of doing everything we could to respond to the defeat against Union Berlin. The game has improved our starting position. We now want to find consistency and stability."

...VfB Stuttgart: "They are a team that dominate through a lot of possession. They have very good counter-pressing. We have to defend well and find good solutions when we have the ball. But we also have to be brave enough to press high. We have to dare to do that against a team who enjoy a lot of possession. We have to unsettle Stuttgart."

...Luca Philipp: "He came in to replace our captain in a difficult situation. He did very well from the first game, and he also made an important save in the closing stages in Bremen. We've had a very good last line of defence."

...Finn Becker: "He gives us some variation. He can do a lot from this position. He's a kind of bodyguard player for his partner in that position. He did very well in Bremen."

...the defensive work: "We defended very well as a group in Bremen. We worked together to get the basics right and encourage each other. That's why we survived difficult phases and built up momentum. The line-up in the back four was very good, I would love to line up like that again, but unfortunately that's not possible on Sunday."

...his approach: "You have to have the courage to go down new paths. That's how you develop. Creating an awareness of this in the team is part of my job."

...the general election: "I'm a political person and it's important that people make use of their right to vote. I think it's positive that our first-time voters have encouraged us all to do so."

The personnel situation:

Umut Tohumcu and Diadie Samassékou have returned to the training ground and were able to complete some parts of team training. Both players could return to the squad next week. However, there are still question marks over a number of players due to a virus in the squad.

The opposition's form:

The Swabians have won just one of their last four Bundesliga games (2-1 at Borussia Dortmund), with defeats coming against Mainz, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg. VfB were also eliminated from the Champions League at the end of January, but secured a place in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal with a 1-0 win over FC Augsburg.

Head-to-head record:

There have been 29 duels between Stuttgart and TSG in the Bundesliga so far, of which Hoffenheim have won eight. VfB have won 11, with the spoils shared on ten occasions.