“Every single player must be on top form” – BVB without Adeyemi, but with a mission against Hoffenheim

The oppositionFrom Matchday 18 onwards, Hoffenheim occupied third place in the table, making them BVB’s closest challengers. However, following a 5-0 defeat in Leipzig on Matchday 27, the team slipped out of the Champions League places. Hoffenheim have now gone four Bundesliga matchdays without a win, most recently drawing 2–2 with Augsburg. The team currently sits sixth in the table.

“Hoffenheim are having a great season. We can see that the recent results haven’t been so positive. But we know there’s a lot at stake, that TSG are keen to get into the Champions League,” said Kovac about the opponents. “Every single player who takes to the pitch tomorrow must be sharp, must be at their best. TSG will continue to play their brand of football, which is very intense.” The two clubs met in the first half of the season in early December. On that occasion, BVB won 2-0 thanks to goals from Julian Brandt and Nico Schlotterbeck.

Positive recordAcross all competitions, BVB and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim have faced each other 38 times so far. The Black & Yellows have won 19 of these encounters, 11 matches ended in a draw, and TSG have come out on top eight times. In recent years in particular, BVB have become a real hurdle for Hoffenheim: in the last 11 Bundesliga encounters, Dortmund have emerged victorious eight times, with two draws and just one Hoffenheim win – in February 2024. Most recently, BVB even celebrated five away wins in a row against TSG. On Saturday, away win number six will hopefully follow.