VfL Bochum is traveling to TSG Hoffenheim with a tailwind. Captain Anthony Losilla explains why the Bundesliga club is currently difficult to beat.
In the away game at TSG Hoffenheim, VfL Bochum has the chance to extend an impressive streak. In five games in a row, the team of coach Thomas Letsch remained undefeated – for the first time since being promoted back to the Bundesliga in the summer of 2021.
After beating VfL Wolfsburg 3-1, VfL was finally able to chalk up their first home win of the season. “The fans have been waiting a long time for this, you could really feel the relief,” said Anthony Losilla, looking back at the exuberant atmosphere at the Ruhr Stadium after the final whistle. The captain promised: “We’ll see more of this this season.”
Bochum have now worked their way up to twelfth place thanks to their unbeaten streak. Losilla does not want to pin the gradual increase in euphoria in the environment solely on the latest success. “Even though we’ve been criticized in recent weeks for not winning our games,” the 37-year-old points out, ”we were more stable and harder to beat. Against Wolfsburg, we finally managed to score the goals.”
And for the first time this season, we scored three goals. “It’s just going well. Everyone is playing for each other, we are fighting, doing the things that have made us strong in the past,” says Losilla, praising his teammates for their “passion and skill”. But: “We are still in the relegation battle and have three important games before the winter break.”
The first of which is on Friday evening under floodlights in Sinsheim (8:30 p.m., RS liveticker). Hoffenheim’s trend is almost the opposite of Bochum’s. After a strong start to the season, TSG has been waiting for a win for four games.
What does Losilla think about the upcoming opponent, against whom VfL squandered an early 2-0 lead in the previous season and ultimately lost 2-3? “They always try to find solutions through playing and have high-quality passing. But I think they don’t like playing against us. Our intensive style of play bothers teams like that.”