Compared to the international break in October, Hoffenheim coach Sebastian Hoeneß finds conditions much better ahead of the match against Leipzig.
Only Christoph Baumgartner is still causing concern. The Austrian had complained of muscular problems in his thigh with the national team and missed the international matches against Israel and Moldova. On Wednesday, the 22-year-old was still working individually and not on the pitch. Therefore, it will probably be very difficult for him to play against RB on Saturday.
Otherwise, however, head coach Sebastian Hoeneß can prepare his team for the next task in the Bundesliga under much better conditions than during the international break before. Back then, many players had returned to the club much later, and TSG had already had to play against 1. FC Köln on Friday evening. The day before, for example, Chris Richards had been on duty with the USA and only returned at the last minute.
Some sense of achievement
This time, all 16 internationals had completed their assignments for their countries by Tuesday at the latest, and apart from Kevin Akpoguma and Richards, all were back with TSG by Wednesday. By all accounts, all of them were safe and sound and some of them had a sense of achievement in their luggage. Andrej Kramaric, for example, qualified directly for next year’s World Cup in Qatar with runner-up Croatia. Richards, too, is a clear step closer to the World Cup after a 2-0 win over Mexico and a 1-1 draw with Jamaica. The Austrians, led by Baumgartner, Florian Grillitsch and Stefan Posch, only finished fourth in Group F with a 4-1 win over Moldova, but had already qualified for the play-offs via the Nations League.
And goalkeeper coach Michael Rechner, who most recently supported the coaching team around Turkey’s new head coach Stefan Kuntz in this capacity, was also able to help the Turks reach the play-offs. Much to the chagrin of Harvard Nordtveit, whose World Cup dreams with Norway have finally been shattered as a result.
On Thursday, when Akpoguma and Richards have also arrived, Hoeneß will be able to prepare for the Leipzig game with a full squad (apart from the long-term injured). Dennis Geiger, who had been absent recently due to an inflammation in his foot, is also fully fit again.
