Last meeting: In the previous fixture this season, the two sides drew 1-1, but Werder will have felt that they could have won the game but for some poor finishing. The game was full of attrative, offensive football. Nico Schulz set up Leonardo Bittencourt to score the opener before Theo Gebre Selassie hit the bar with a header just before the break. The right-back then got a second bite at the cherry in the second half and scored a deserved equaliser from a Ludwig Augustinsson cross. Unfortunately, Werder couldn't do enough to get all three points at home.
The boss on the game: "They're a team that don't do anything but give their all. They've changed their game from last season and they're more physical when attacking," said Kohfeldt. Players like Adam Szalai, Ishak Belfodil and Joelinton are physically strong and are backed up by "a midfield good at playing the ball." "They want to use the room, go forward with pace and play physically," added Kohfeldt. The Werder head coach can see an opportunity based on how Hoffenheim defend: "They often mark man-to-man, so it's possible for us to find room." It looks like it'll be a great clash on Saturday afternoon. Florian Kohfeldt finished by saying that the key is "being compact, as boring as that sounds. It's not about winning crazily, it's about being clever."
The opponents: The game is TSG head coach Julian Nagelsmann's last in front of his home fans. "I wouldn't underestimate this factor. Julian has taken the team to a whole new level. There's the impetus for them to really make the stadium take off on Saturday." Julian Nagelsmann is set to join RB Leipzig at the end of the season and will want to leave by leading Hoffenheim into Europe. To do that, the side are in direct competition with Werder. TSG are currently eighth in the table with 51 points, and it's still possible for them to qualify for the Champions League next season. Werder can't achieve this anymore, but they have their own goals in mind.