Florian Kohfeldt on the upcoming match: "I’m expecting a very good game for the spectators. TSG are, like us, an attacking team, so there will be plenty goalmouth action," predicts the boss. Kohfeldt has made clear that Werder’s defensive orientation in the cup victory will by no means act as a tactical blue-print for Saturday’s encounter, but "the fact that Hoffenheim struggled to cope with this tight formation has been taken into consideration and will undoubtedly play a role in our preparation for the game. That said, TSG have also shown in many other games that they can play much better against these set-ups," he added. All things considered, the 35-year-old head coach is putting the main focus ahead of the 2018 opener on his own team’s approach: "Hoffenheim possess such tactical flexibility, that I couldn’t predict how they will approach the game. The important thing for us is to give ourselves plenty of options both on and off the ball," explains Kohfeldt, before adding: "Defensively, we want to keep things compact on the one hand, but on the other, we want to keep our distance from their goal as short as possible. Going forward we want long spells of possession, force the vertical route to goal and of course convert our chances when they fall."
And who’s playing at right back? "I’ve not made a final decision on that yet," Kohfeldt responds with an expert poker face. The two candidates for this place in the starting XI are Theodor Gebre Selassie and Robert Bauer. "Both gave a great account of themselves at the training camp, worked hard and put in some strong performances: It’s a close call," analysed Kohfeldt. So to find out which player will take to the field, we will have to wait until the starting XI on matchday.