Just over six months ago, Jannik Vestergaard made the switch from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to SV Werder. The centre back integrated himself into Green-Whites' team both on...
Just over six months ago, Jannik Vestergaard made the switch from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to SV Werder. The centre back integrated himself into Green-Whites' team both on...
Just over six months ago, Jannik Vestergaard made the switch from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to SV Werder. The centre back integrated himself into Green-Whites' team both on and off the pitch in no time at all. Since his arrival, the 23-year-old has become a permanent and important member of manager Viktor Skripnik's team. This Sunday (13th September, 15:30 CEST), Vestergaard comes up against the Hoffenheimers. The Danish defender is "desperate to win," but knows it won't be an easy task.
Three games, two defeats, one point. On paper, TSG Hoffenheim's season so far looks poor. However, the first two of manager Markus Gisdol's games were against Champions League sides: Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern München. On matchday 3, TSG picked up a point against newly promoted side Darmstadt 98. Jannik Vestergaard urges Werder to be cautious of the opposition. "Hoffenheim are better than what the table tells. They've got a good squad and only lost narrowly by two goals to one against both Leverkusen and Bayern," said the defender, who watched the Bayern game attentively. "Hoffenheim gave Bayern a good game, there was little to separate them, they only conceded the winner right before the end. Hoffenheim really showed their quality in this match," said Vestergaard.

In their last Bundesliga match, the Green-Whites were able to show their potential and see off a Champions League side in Borussia Mönchengladbach, as they recorded a 2-1 win at the Weser-Stadion, thanks in no small part to a headed goal from Vestergaard. The Werder side have benefited from a huge revival in self-confidence ahead of the upcoming challenge in Hoffenheim. "The win against Gladbach has given us some momentum, and now we're looking ahead to the next match. I absolutely want to win there," said the Danish international, who is eager to get stuck in against his former teammates.
Vestergaard played for the Baden-Württemberg side from July 2010 until January 2015, making his Bundesliga debut in 2011 when he was just 18 years old. Ten months later he scored his first goal for Hoffenheim, coincidentally against Bremen at the Weser-Stadion. This Sunday, Verstergaard would at least like to level things up, but the giant defender isn't too concerned who scores the goals: "The most important thing is that we take three points back to Bremen!"
He still stays in contact with his old side. "Of course I regularly get in touch with some of my old teammates, but less so recently. As a professional, you need to concentrate on your own side," said Vestergaard, who's looking forward to seeing some familiar faces: "Of course I'll catch up with my old colleagues after the game, but until then, our complete focus is on producing a good performance on Sunday."
