“I want to win”: Hoffenheim's Hajdari fires warning before BVB | OneFootball

A poor start for TSG Hoffenheim: In their opening match of the new Bundesliga season, the team from Sinsheim suffered a 3–2 defeat at 1. FC Köln that was not necessarily expected. Against Borussia Dortmund (5 September, 3:30 p.m.), they now have a chance to make amends.

Last season, Hoffenheim had one foot in the Champions League. After 26 matches, TSG were still in 3rd place. But from the remaining eight games, they managed only three wins. The club from Kraichgau slipped to fifth and will now compete in the Europa League. Attractive clubs such as Besiktas Istanbul, Olympique Lyon, Crystal Palace and RSC Anderlecht await BVB’s next opponent. “The top priority is to take every opponent, every match seriously,” centre-back Albian Hajdari (23) warned in an interview with Absolut Fussball against complacency.

But before TSG take to the European stage, they have two home games in the Bundesliga on the schedule. First, Borussia Dortmund visit the SNP Arena, followed a week later by VfB Stuttgart. Hajdari is likely to have plenty of work to do.

“It’s always nice to win without conceding”

“As a centre-back, you naturally focus primarily on the direct opponents in the middle, such as Guirassy or Fabio Silva,” says the Switzerland-born Kosovo international. “But I also have to keep an eye on the wingers and the number 10s as well — depending on how our pressing is set up. As a defensive line, there are always one or two players you pay special attention to.”

Photo: Getty Images

The defender already knows the formula for standing up to BVB as well. “If we bring our intense running onto the pitch, we’ll get our chances against Dortmund too,” Hajdari is convinced. The goal is three points, the 23-year-old stresses, striking a determined tone: “I want to win the game, and that’s the mindset I’ll take onto the pitch on Saturday.”

He also ventures a prediction. “In the end, as a defender, it’s always nice to win without conceding,” says Hajdari, but he also adds: “But whether it’s a 2–1, a 3–2 with a last-minute goal, or a ‘boring’ 1–0 isn’t what matters in the end.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.