Hoffenheim without Hajdari against Beşiktaş – Ilzer: "A real blow"
After three straight competitive defeats, Hoffenheim host Beşiktaş tonight at 9pm CET. Defender Albian Hajdari is out for several weeks. Freiburg face Jablonec at the same time.
Archive image · Photo: Simon Hofmann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
TSG Hoffenheim will be without Albian Hajdari for Thursday night's Europa League home game against Beşiktaş Istanbul (9pm CET). Head coach Christian Ilzer confirmed at his press conference that the 23-year-old defender picked up a new injury in training, this time to his plantar fascia. "That's a real blow for us," Ilzer said, adding that Hajdari will be unavailable for the next few weeks.
The pressure is on: Hoffenheim have lost three competitive matches in a row, including a 1-0 defeat at Hamburger SV. Beşiktaş, second in the Turkish Süper Lig, arrive in Sinsheim with a large travelling support. "We know we're up against a team of high quality," Ilzer said.
Also kicking off at 9pm, Bundesliga leaders SC Freiburg host Czech underdogs FK Jablonec in the Conference League. Julian Schuster's side are chasing an eighth win in their ninth competitive game of the season.