Bundesliga
December 2, 2012
TSG Hoffenheim
1 - 4
Werder Bremen
Bundesliga
14:30 +00:00, December 2, 2012
Rhein-Neckar Arena
TSG Hoffenheim v Werder Bremen: Preview
Team Stat Comparison
| TSG Hoffenheim | Werder Bremen | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches Played | 34 | 34 |
| Table Position | 16 | 14 |
| Points | 31 | 34 |
| Goal Difference | -25 | -16 |
| Goals for * | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| Goals against * | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Last 5 | W-L-D-W-L | L-D-D-L-L |
| Last 5 home | L-W-W-D-L | D-D-L-L-D |
| Last 5 away | W-D-L-D-L | L-L-D-D-D |
| * Goals per match - home matches for home club and away matches for away club | ||
| Stats: TSG Hoffenheim | Werder Bremen | ||
Competition Stats
| TSG Hoffenheim | Werder Bremen | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals |
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| Assists |
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| Yellows |
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| Reds |
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| Squads: TSG Hoffenheim | Werder Bremen | ||
Tim Wiese misses out on tomorrow's clash against his former club Werder Bremen due to injury, but the chances are the Hoffenheim goalkeeper would have been left out anyway.
The former Germany international was excluded from Markus Babbel's squad in midweek after he picked up an injury on the morning of their 4-2 defeat to Nurnberg.
However, Babbel explained afterwards that Koen Casteels would have been given the nod over the out-of-sorts Wiese even had he not been ruled out due to injury.
"We could have used Wiese's injury as a mask, but we wanted to be clear about it - we have the impression that Koen fits in better with the team,'' said Babbel.
"Tim has not really settled in as we would have hoped.''
The door is not fully closed on Wiese, though, who should be fit for the second half of the season when the pack will be reshuffled once again.
"Tim Wiese is an excellent goalkeeper who has just not yet delivered his best performances here,'' added Hoffenheim's general manager Andreas Muller.
"That doesn't mean we will just let him fall by the wayside. Things start from scratch again in January.''
Wiese's absence, be it for injury or lack of form, comes as a disappointment for his former team-mate Aaron Hunt, who was keen to put a goal past him tomorrow.
"I feel for Tim,'' he said. "It's a real shame because he has not just become a bad goalkeeper.''
Instead, it will be Casteels looking to avert a ninth league defeat of the season, and one which could well signal the end of Babbel's reign in charge with the club continuing their worst start ever to a Bundesliga season.