FC Bayern face a tough task away from home on Bundesliga Matchday 26. On Saturday (live ticker and free Webradio from 15:30 CET on fcbayern.com), the Reds take on in-form TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, who are fourth in the table. “They’re an incredibly dangerous team,“ warned Julian Nagelsmann, who’s going to his former club as Bayern coach for the first time. “I’m looking forward to going back. I spent a lot of nice years there,” added the 34-year-old. Everything you need to know about the meeting in Sinsheim is in our preview:
Check out the best images from the final training session ahead of the trip to Hoffenheim:
The situation for FC Bayern
After booking their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-1 thrashing of FC Salzburg in midweek, Bayern go into the clash with Hoffenheim in confident mood. “Salzburg was a very important and very impressive game for us. It would be weird if it didn’t boost our confidence,” said Nagelsmann in Friday’s press conference. Bayern are now looking to further cement their position at the top of the Bundesliga, and the omens are good: the Bavarians have won six of their seven league games immediately after a European outing this season. They currently have a 10-point lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who have played one match less.
Hear what coach Julian Nagelsmann had to say ahead of the trip to Hoffenheim:
The opposition: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim are enjoying a good season and have been in excellent form lately. The team coached by Sebastian Hoeneß, who worked at Bayern from 2017 to 2020 as U19 and then reserves coach, have won each of their last four matches, beating 1. FC Köln 1-0 last time out. TSG currently occupy fourth place with 43 points. “They’re currently in a Champions League spot and deservedly so. They’ve got a lot of good statistics, hit a lot of crosses, make a lot of intensive runs and cover the most distance in the opposition half after us,” reported Nagelsmann on the opposition.
We spoke with Hoffenheim duo Angelo Stiller and Chris Richards:
The team news for Hoffenheim vs. FC Bayern
Bayern are still without Corentin Tolisso (recovery training after muscle strain), Leon Goretzka (recovery training after knee problem) and Alphonso Davies (suspected myocarditis).
For the hosts, Ermin Bičakčić, Robert Skov, Fisnik Asllani, Chris Richards, Håvard Nordtveit and Sebastian Rudy are all out. Benjamin Hübner is still isolating, with a late decision to be made on his involvement. Kevin Vogt and Dennis Geiger are in contention again, though.
What the coaches say
Julian Nagelsmann: “They're a team who are always difficult to play against because they're technically good, because they have the courage to play out from the back. They always have a good middle ground between passing it around and direct attacks. Hoffenheim have won three of their last five home matches against Bayern. We're warned."
Sebastian Hoeneß (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim): “Bayern are in good form, we need a top performance. But we're coming into it on the back of four wins and have a lot of confidence. We're really up for it and looking forward to it. If we give it a go, we have little to lose. We want to upset Bayern and try to pick up the bonus points."
Read the facts and figures on the match at Hoffenheim here:
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