Week 20 - Match preview
Magath issues Hoffenheim warning
In 1899 Hoffenheim the Royal Blues entertain the bottom side in the current form table at the VELTINS Arena on Saturday (1830 CET). But Felix Magath has little time for such statistics, saying the Kraichgau outfit are much better than their recent run suggests.
"Hoffenheim had their chances in the last two games against Bayern Munich and Leverkusen but simply failed to score," the Schalke boss said. "So they'll have to try their utmost to get something from us in order to stay in contention for a European spot." Hoffenheim sit in ninth place in the table and have conceded five goals without reply since the winter break.
It's been a stuttering start to the year for Ralf Rangnick's men, then, which Magath explained as follows: "Hoffenheim are without several key players due to injury at the moment. They're also missing a number of mainstays because of the Africa Cup." Indeed, the absentees include the injured Demba Ba, Tobias Weis and Maicosuel plus Chinedu Obasi and Isaac Vorsah (Africa Cup). And they will also have to manage without defensive linchpin Josip Simunic, who picked up a fifth yellow card against Leverkusen.
"But we mustn't make the mistake of saying we've got an easy game in front of us," warned Magath. "Hoffenheim are always capable of leaving their mark on a game, as they showed several times in the first half of the season."
Magath is optimistic that the fans will see another win at the VELTINS Arena in spite of the late equaliser at VfL Bochum last week. The Schalke boss draws his confidence from his side's showing in the 2-2 draw. "In footballing terms that was certainly one of our best performances of the season," he said. "The only thing wrong was the result." He was also keen to stress that his team had put the disappointment of the last-minute draw behind them. "The mood in the camp is good, the players are working hard to be successful. It was a needless draw but we all understand that a win is vital now to keep in touch with the teams at the top."
