The gap couldn’t be much tighter. A solitary point separates sixth-placed Stuttgart and fifth-placed Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga table – now the two sides go head-to-head on the final matchday of the year. The meeting of the two rivals at 15:30 CET on Saturday afternoon offers VfB the opportunity to sign off before Christmas with a win in front of their own fans and climb the table.
“This is exactly the kind of game we need right now – a home match to finish the year against a strong team who are above us in the table,” said head coach Sebastian Hoeneß. “We want to go into this meeting with full power and give our all again to win it.” The 43-year-old knows Hoffenheim well, having overseen 81 games there as head coach between 2020 and 2022.
Visitors travelling with confidence
“The club has undergone a systematic change over the last two years,” said Hoeneß. To illustrate this, there have been between five and seven summer signings in the starting line-up every match this season. With 26 points from 14 games, TSG have established themselves in the top third of the standings.
So how have they got there? “They’re constantly right at the top in terms of running data, they play in a very intensive way,” explained the VfB boss. “Hoffenheim look very steady and confident at the moment.”
For VfB, this means they not only have to nullify the in-form visitors but also utilise their own strengths. “We have to be ready to leave everything on the pitch; to go to our limits as athletes, be completely present mentally and physically, and call on our technical abilities.” With their fans behind them, Hoeneß’s men will try to close out 2025 with one final win.
Assignon ruled out, El Khannouss at AFCON
In terms of personnel, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Luca Jaquez, Yannik Keitel and Noah Darvich are still in rehab, while Lorenz Assignon (shoulder) and Ermedin Demirovic (individual training) are also ruled out. Bilal El Khannouss has left for the African Cup of Nations.
