Matarazzo: "We're the decisive factor"
Pellegrino Matarazzo on…
…Eintracht Frankfurt: "Frankfurt's form is not our focus. They play in a 5-3-2 with a compact attacking press. They have good speed up front and a certain inventiveness; plus, they have individual players who can decide games. However, we're first and foremost focusing on ourselves."
…Eintracht's cup tie: "There were two very different halves yesterday. Frankfurt are capable of getting back into a game through individual moments. But the match yesterday served to confirm the knowledge we already had."
…the two recent defeats: "We've already shown that we can come out of a difficult phase. I'm very confident that we'll take another step forward. We're placing the focus on our performance. The opposition are not the decisive factor, we are."
… Randal Kolo Muani: "He's an exceptional striker who possesses great speed and is very dangerous in front of goal. But we defend as a group; we also gave away only a few scoring chances from open play against Leipzig. It's about the overall picture, not about an individual player."
…the pressure in the relegation battle: "There is pressure in every Bundesliga match. We realise that the situation has come to a head, but there has already been a tougher situation this season. Now is the moment to turn up. If we manage that, we'll win the game."
…the defensive absentees: "We're looking at the available personnel and trying to make the best out of it. We'll work in a solution-oriented manner."
…the importance of Andrej Kramarić: "He's extremely important. He not only has experience and quality, but also leads by example and takes on responsibility. He ran almost 13 kilometres against Leipzig – not aimlessly but very intelligently. His defensive work is also top."
…the support from the fans: "Any support does us good. We need the fans in the phase we're currently in. They showed us in the very difficult phase that they're there for us. We need them again in a tricky period – we're hoping for their support once more."
The personnel situation:
Kevin Vogt (bursa fold) and Pavel Kadeřábek (muscular injury) are sidelined and also doubtful for the remaining games of the season. Kevin Akpoguma will miss out through suspension, while Ozan Kabak has not yet trained with the team this week but is expected to return to training this Thursday. Angelo Stiller and Jacob Bruun Larsen are in contention for the squad again.
Head-to-head record:
TSG and Eintracht have previously faced each other on 27 occasions. Frankfurt have emerged victorious 10 times, while Hoffenheim have come out on top in nine games.
The opposition's form:
Frankfurt managed to reach the DFB-Pokal final on Wednesday evening thanks to a 3-2 win away to VfB Stuttgart, but the Hesse outfit are without a win in nine Bundesliga matches. The Eagles have dropped down to ninth place as a result and are currently five points adrift of the European places.