Bundesliga - Hoffenheim hope for the long absent Bebou
No sooner has the urgently needed Ihlas Bebou turned up at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim than the striker from Togo is plagued by knee problems again. The 29-year-old is one of a "long list" of injured and sick players presented by coach Pellegrino Matarazzo ahead of the Kraichgauers' Bundesliga match at RB Leipzig on Saturday (18:30/Sky).
Bebou had not been able to get past his rivals Wout Weghorst and Maximilian Beier in recent weeks. He also had another competitor in new signing Mergim Berisha at the start of the season. However, the ex-Augsburg player will be out for a long time due to a cruciate ligament rupture. Against VfL Bochum last Friday, substitute Bebou scored the final goal to make it 3:1 - his first goal of the season. Matarazzo now hopes "that this will give him strength and energy".
The TSG coach now almost has a guilty conscience about putting the speedy attacker on the wing when he lets him play: "I almost apologized after the last game because I rarely used him in his strongest position. It's clear that he has his routines, his automatisms in attack."
Bebou missed almost the entire first half of last season due to long-term knee problems, but then helped TSG to stay in the league with seven goals. Now Bebou has slight knee problems again, according to Matarazzo. "That actually has links to his old problems. We'll see how serious they are." The TSG coach urgently needs the striker at the moment: veteran Weghorst is out for the rest of the year due to an adductor injury and Beier is ill.
"We have several cases of illness, including Maxi Beier. I hope that one or two of them will join us in training by the end of the week," said Matarazzo, also naming regulars Kevin Vogt, Diadie Samassékou and Julian Justvan.
In addition, midfielders Anton Stach and Florian Grillitsch have picked up knocks. Talented Umut Tohumcu has problems with his ankle. However, Ozan Kabak, who has been struggling recently, and Kevin Akpoguma, who was suspended for the win against Bochum, are back in defense. "That's a long list today, but I'm sure we'll have a strong squad on the pitch," said Matarazzo, whose team have won five of their seven away games so far.
Bundesliga table Match info on bundesliga.de TSG Hoffenheim squad
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- Despite his recent knee problem, Hoffenheim relies on Ihlas Bebou to boost their attack against RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
- Bebou's knee problems are a setback for Hoffenheim, as they struggle with multiple injuries and sicknesses in their squad.
- Hoffenheim's coach, Pellegrino Matarazzo, is hopeful that Bebou's goal against Bochum will provide him with the needed strength and energy.
- Wout Weghorst's long-term adductor injury and Maximilian Beier's illness leave Hoffenheim with a shortage of attackers, making Bebou's recovery crucial.
- Bebou's struggles for playing time in recent weeks involved rivals like Weghorst, Beier, and new signing Mergim Berisha.
- Mergim Berisha, signed from Augsburg, is ruled out for a long time due to a cruciate ligament rupture, adding to Hoffenheim's injury troubles.
- Hoffenheim's head coach, Matarazzo, nearly apologized for using Bebou on the wing, as he's most effective in his preferred attacking position.
- Hoffenheim's inaugural Bundesliga match against Bochum yielded Bebou's first goal of the season and a hard-fought 3:1 victory, bolstering the team's morale.
Source: www.stern.de
