SC Paderborn 07 vs Hoffenheim preview - Gisdol warns of ugly scrap

Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol has warned that it might not be pretty when his side pay Paderborn a visit this weekend.

A run of four straight defeats and just one win in their last 15 games has seen Paderborn plummet into the bottom three of the Bundesliga and since they are fighting for their lives, Hoffenheim expect to be drawn into a scrap at the Paderborn Arena.

"It's going to be a battle for every second ball and it won't be pretty," Gisdol said.

"It's going to be particularly challenging for us. It's a 50/50 game and it would be fatal if we took it lightly.

In contrast to Paderborn's poor recent form, Hoffenheim have climbed to seventh with three wins and a draw from their last five league matches and they are knocking on the door for a place in Europe next season.

"We want to get the most we possibly can from this season," said Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann on his club's website.

"At the same time, we're taking things game by game and nobody's going to make any proclamations.

"Of course a second win would do us good, though. We want the three points - that's our aim in every game no matter who our opponents are, and we always need to give 100 per cent to get it.

"Our win over Hamburg has given us self-confidence and we go to Paderborn with our heads held high."

The opposite can be said for Paderborn with their coach Andre Breitenreiter admitting they have a psychological problem.

"We prepare well for all of our games and we're always the first side to make an impression, but then as soon as we concede our heads drop," he said.

He is nevertheless not willing to give up on his side's chances of extending their stay in the Bundesliga to two seasons, adding that they "don't want to jeopardise all that we've worked the last 18 months for."

Marvin Ducksch has been ruled out with a broken foot which is likely to keep him out of action for the rest of the season while Moritz Stoppelkamp has a fever.