FIRST TEAM
10/24/2017

"We won't take our foot off the gas in the cup"

Are there any TSG fans out there who have forgotten our last away match in Bremen, when Julian Nagelsmann beat Werder 5-3 to secure our first ever victory against the Green-Whites? This evening Hoffenheim travel back to Bremen with the aim of reaching the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal. achtzehn99.de previews the second round cup tie.

JULIAN NAGELSMANN ON...

...the opposition.

Werder currently find themselves in a tricky situation. So far they’ve failed to pick up many points in the Bundesliga as they lie in the relegation spots, but that arguably makes them more dangerous tonight. The DFB-Pokal is a completely different competition and they can approach the match without the same pressure that they will against Augsburg in the league on Sunday. Looking back to matchday one, before their negative run of form began, Werder certainly made things hard for TSG, despite Nagelsmann’s side eventually edging the 1-0 win. They defended very high up the pitch for large spells and tried to put pressure on us. Bremen have a team that can play well, with dangerous players. They have no momentum at the moment, but this is a different competition and their Bundesliga form is irrelevant.

... the squad.

Nadiem Amiri and  Dennis Geiger are back. Of course we will test them once more in training, but we’re pretty confident that they will be available to play. Stefan Posch will definitely miss out, however. We’re still not sure about Sandro Wagner, it doesn’t look good for him. He has had adductor problems for a few weeks now and they have been bothering him more since the last game against Wolfsburg. We’ll make a spontaneous decision if he can play or not.

Serge Gnabry still has fluid in his muscular system. Until this is gone, he can’t play. It’s getting better, but it’s still not looking good. But he’s further along with his rehab than Adam Szalai and Ermin Bicakcic, for example. It could be that he returns to team training next week – but I’ve thought that was case twice already.

... Andrej Kramaric. 

Andrej is an intelligent and self-critical player. We’ve obviously not just analysed his game, but the match as a whole. Ultimately, there were three or four other situations, that we should have put away. The team spoke to Andrej and that’s the end of it. He knows what he needs to do next time he finds himself in that situation – either he smashes it in or squares the ball. Even if he isn’t scoring as much as he did last season, he is still playing well. He is playing in different positions this season, but the goals will come. He is always a threat and makes it difficult for the opposition to contain him.

... the sporting situation I

Oliver Baumann is a very good goalkeeper, as is Gregor Kobel. Both are training well, but tomorrow Gregor will have the chance to show what he can do on the big stage, as he has done consistently in the U23s.

... the sporting situation II

We will approach the match in Bremen with the same attitude as in any Bundesliga match. We won’t be taking our foot off the gas at all. Realistically, the competition is the easiest to be successful in because of how few games there are. Of course you also need the luck of the draw. We definitely have a difficult draw compared to other teams, with the exception of Köln vs. Hertha and Leipzig vs. Bayern. It’s a very demanding match. But it’s definitely easier to win the cup than the Europa League or Bundesliga. It’s a very prestigious competition and we have targets that we want to achieve. The first is to win tomorrow. We want to progress further than we did last season.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

TSG met Werder Bremen met for the first time in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinal in February 2010. A highly-competitive match in the snow at the Weserstadion ended with the hosts edging a narrow 2-1 victory.

OPPONENT'S FORM

With five points from nine games, Werder Bremen lie 17th in the Bundesliga. Things just aren’t going right for the Green-Whites currently. The most recent result was a disappointing 0-0 draw last weekend in the bottom-of-the-table clash against Köln. But as everyone knows, anything can happen in the cup. It’s a competition like no other and it’s all or nothing for both teams. Furthermore, you have to look back to 1988 to when Werder Bremen were last beaten at home in the DFB-Pokal.

KEY BATTLES 

With Fin Batels suspended, it is likely that Werder Bremen will call upon Florian Kainz on Wednesday evening. The attacking midfielder is flexible and can play on both wings, in was Bremen’s most active player during our last meeting in August. His three crosses that game were the most of any player. With the two holding midfielders, for example Dennis Geiger and Florian Grillitsch, we can stop the Bremen attack early and quickly break into a counter with our speedy wingers.

 

Match facts and statistics »

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