Hoffenheim return from the international break with three established players carrying different concerns before Saturday’s home match against Hamburger SV. Andrej Kramaric has not found minutes or momentum with Croatia, while defenders Vladimir Coufal and Albian Hajdari have both dealt with knee trouble.
Key takeaways
- TSG have taken one league win and three defeats, followed by a 2-0 European loss at OFI Crete.
- Kramaric has yet to start or register a goal contribution for Hoffenheim this season.
- Coufal returned for the Czech Republic against England after missing two matches with a knee issue.
- Hajdari left Kosovo duty after completing the 1-0 win over Ireland because of knee discomfort.
- Fisnik Asllani scored for Kosovo in a 1-1 draw with Austria after gaining valuable international minutes.
Ilzer waits on key men for HSV
Christian Ilzer’s side are already under pressure after a difficult opening stretch. Their league record contains just one victory from four matches, and the European campaign began with defeat in Crete.
Kramaric, Hoffenheim’s record scorer, has had a particularly quiet start. The 35-year-old underwent groin surgery before the season and has not made the starting XI for his club. He remains without either a goal or an assist.
International breaks have often helped Kramaric regain rhythm in the past, but Croatia offered no such lift this time. Slaven Bilic did not use him in any of Croatia’s four matches, leaving the forward without even a substitute appearance ahead of Saturday’s 15:30 meeting with HSV.
Coufal’s situation is more encouraging, though not fully settled. The Czech right-back missed two international fixtures after suffering knee problems following the first match against England. He was back in the starting side for Tuesday’s return game, a 3-0 defeat in which he scored an own goal. Hoffenheim will hope the 33-year-old is fit enough to feature, although the complaint may not have completely cleared.
Hajdari doubtful, Asllani gains confidence
Hajdari is the more serious fitness doubt. The Kosovo centre-back played the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Ireland, but subsequently left the national squad because of his own knee problem. His availability for Hamburg remains uncertain.
There was better news from Kosovo for Asllani. The forward has also not started a club match this season, but used the break to build match fitness. He then scored in the 1-1 draw against Austria, giving Hoffenheim another attacker returning with a positive result behind him.
