1899 taking nothing for granted against Ingolstadt

Therefore 1899 trainer Ralf Rangnick had a good reason to warn his team not to underestimate their cup opponents, confirming that, despite their crumbling fortress, they are still at team who have a lot of quality: "Ingolstadt is one of the top teams in the second division. They don't belong at the bottom of the table. The only thing they are lacking right now is the ability to score goals." It most certainly won't be an easy match. Naturally everyone is expecting the men from Kraichgau to secure a comfortable victory, anything short of that will come as a huge surprise.

Back four under construction?

The 1-1 draw, which felt like a loss, against Borussia Dortmund on the weekend has been forgotten. "The squad was so disappointed, they can only think about winning their next match", stated Rangnick in the build up to the DFB Pokal clash. To regret what happened would be the wrong thing to do, as there are not many teams who could have taken a point from Dortmund in their current form. The team is eager to demonstrate their defiance and qualify for the 4th round of the cup, but with the team playing well in both defence and attack they are confident of succeeding: "The defensive performance was the best away from home in a long time," praised Rangnick, despite yet more changes being made to the back four. It won't be the last time either. Up until now the absence of Josip Simunic and Andreas Ibertsberger were manageable, but now the inclusion of Isaac Vorsah is questionable. "If Vorsah is missing, then we have a problem," explained Rangnick. Without the Ghanaian there is a big hole left in the backline. Someone who could potentially step into that role is Luiz Gustavo. The trainer sees this solution as the worst-case scenario. Although the Brazilian may be better suited to other positions, Rangnick stated: "We only have one Gustavo. Therefore we have to work out where we need him the most".

Return of the dream three?

Changes are also going to be made up front for Hoffenheim. The team has openly admitted that they are, "here to make progress in the right direction", but to become a well rounded complete package there is still work to do. With certain players still not at their peak fitness levels, rotation is something that should be expected. "Vedad Ibisevic is back in the starting line-up", confessed Rangnick on Monday. Someone pushing for a place in the starting eleven is Chinedu Obasi who made his return from injury this past week and is ready to get in the thick of the action. "Vedo, Edu and me - were great together when we're all fully fit, so if we can all be playing together again it would be fantastic", states an enthusiastic Demba Ba in regards to the dream team up front.

Sejad Salihovic and Boris Vukcevic, who covered a total distance of 13km during the match against BVB and is therefore categorically the fittest player in the team right now, will support the front men from midfield. With the poor run of form their second division opponents are experiencing and the potential backlash from the Dortmund match, this game is definitely Hoffenheim's to lose.