FIRST TEAM
08/30/2012

Desire to keep balance right against Eintracht

On Saturday at 15.30 CET, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim will play their first Bundesliga home game of the 2012/13 season. The visitors to the WIRSOL Rhein Neckar Arena are newly promoted Eintracht Frankfurt. TSG can look forward to the prospect of a full stadium; only 1,400 tickets are left on general sale. “If we are wide awake and demonstrate what we are fully capable of, we will win the game. It's also important for our fans, who have stood by us despite the poor start”, said Markus Babbel in Thursday's press conference.

Frankfurt have started well in the new Bundesliga season. After the cup exit, Eintracht demonstrated a clear improvement and surprised Leverkusen with an encouraging display in their 2-1 victory at the Commerzbank Arena. “Frankfurt are a side that take risks coming forward and possess great quality in both general play, as well as from set pieces. They showed a great deal of passion against Leverkusen and played as strongly as I expected them to”, said Babbel. As a result, Frankfurt's coach Armin Veh has no reason to change his starting eleven. “I haven't planned any changes, all my players are fit. We will line-up in our attacking shape, and in that sense it won't change, but tactically, we might make some changes”, said Veh, keeping his cards close to chest.

All players are fit

Markus Babbel also has a fully fit squad to choose from for TSG's first home game. Whether Babbel will change his starting eleven after their courageous display against Borussia Mönchengladbach remains to be seen. There is good news to report in the form of Sandro Wieser. The Lichtensteiner, who was out after a meniscus operation, trained with the team again on Thursday. However, he is not yet an option for the 18 man squad.

Enemies for 90 minutes

The two managers are not just connected through the game on Saturday. Babbel was a member of Armin Veh's squad in the 2006/2007 season and celebrated the league title at the end of his career. In the following season, he joined Veh's coaching staff. “Armin Veh said to me at that time that I wasn't going to be in the first eleven. Yet it was this honesty that I valued. In my time as assistant manager, he was just as straight talking. He said what he thought. I always liked that”, explained Babbel. “I am still regularly in touch with Markus Babbel. He's an honest man and a nice guy”, Veh said. On Saturday though, the friendship will have to be put aside for 90 minutes.

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