TSG 1899 Hoffenheim got off to a strong start in the Bundesliga season with three wins. Another win at Borussia Dortmund could set a club record.
Zuzenhausen (dpa / lsw) – On his day off, André Breitenreiter went to the golf course with his wife. “It went better for them than for me,” admitted the head coach of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. In the Bundesliga game at Borussia Dortmund on Friday (8.30 p.m. / DAZN) he would like to be more successful with his team. “BVB is the favorite, the team is of high quality,” said Breitenreiter on Thursday. “Nevertheless, we’re going to Dortmund to take something countable with us.” After all, TSG is fourth in the table after four matchdays, one place ahead of Westphalia.
“It’s up to us how we perform. We have enough quality in our ranks and have already shown strong performances in Dortmund,” emphasized Breitenreiter. “If we put everything on the pitch and have a bit of luck, we can achieve a lot.” However, the home side are a force at home on Fridays, having gone 32 unbeaten games that weekday since January 2004.
The Kraichgauers, who had a strong start to the season, want to end this series and complete a record start with another success. TSG have never had four wins in the first five matchdays. “I’m a long way from rating the table, but we got off to a good start,” said Breitenreiter.
He wouldn’t mind if that were the case after 34 matchdays: “If we could stand in front of BVB at the end of the season, I’d like to sign it. But that’s still a long way to go and irrelevant at first,” said the 48-year-old .
However, Breitenreiter does not believe that the move from top scorer Erling Haarland to Manchester City has made it easier to be successful against Dortmund. “I think BVB’s principles have remained the same despite Haaland’s departure,” he said. “Anthony Modeste is also a target player, he can score goals too.”
The Austrian national player Stefan Posch, who traveled to FC Bologna for a medical check-up, is not in the squad for the game in the Ruhr area. That’s where the left-back should be awarded. “He’s not in training and should announce his move,” said Breitenreiter. Posch still has a contract with Hoffenheim until 2024. Defensive player Melayro Bogarde’s move to Dutch second division club PEC Zwolle on loan is already fixed.
Breitenreiter, on the other hand, almost ruled out further commitments on the last day of the transfer period. “Basically, I don’t think there’s anything going on with newcomers. I’m happy with the squad. We’re not under any pressure,” said the TSG coach.
