Hoffenheim's Schicker on situation after Dortmund defeat

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has several issues to address following a bitter 2-3 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund and a poor start to the season. Sporting director Alexander Schicker spoke about the current situation, while media outlets are already announcing the TV broadcast details for the next key match.

Alexander Schicker, Hoffenheim's sporting director, gave a statement regarding the current phase. "We have to make the third in this phase," the official was quoted as saying. He was referring to the need to draw the right conclusions from the first two matchdays, both of which ended in defeat. The team under coach Pellegrino Matarazzo sits in 16th place with zero points after two matches. With four goals scored and six conceded, the goal difference stands at minus two. The recent form is listed as two losses (LL). Schicker's statement highlights the need for action in Kraichgau.

Hoffenheim led Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at one stage. Leon Avdullahu scored the opener in the 45th minute, and Tim Lemperle made it 2-0 in the 54th minute. However, Borussia Dortmund turned the game around in the second half. Serhou Guirassy (61') and Fábio Silva (66') equalized before an own goal by Albian Hajdari in the 86th minute completed Dortmund's stunning comeback. Guirassy was voted Man of the Match with 66 percent of the votes. The defeat pushed TSG further down the table, now sitting six points behind leaders FC Augsburg.

The broadcast details for the upcoming Bundesliga home game are compiled. The match against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 3:30 PM will be broadcast live on the pay-TV channel Sky. A live stream via SkyGo or WOW is also available. The recent head-to-head record shows many draws. Of 32 league meetings, 13 ended in a draw, including the last four encounters. The last winner in this fixture was VfB Stuttgart in March 2024 with a 3-0 away victory. Stuttgart is currently in 9th place. All of TSG's upcoming fixtures can be found on our fixtures page.

The numbers after two matchdays are sobering. Besides the aforementioned league position and the -2 goal difference, the gap to the top is significant. The six-point deficit to Augsburg shows how quickly a gap can open up in the Bundesliga. The next opportunity to earn points comes this Saturday at the PreZero Arena. The derby against VfB Stuttgart is a key match for TSG Hoffenheim to stop the negative trend and secure their first point of the season. The current standings table illustrates the urgent need for improvement.