1
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim were able to emerge victorious in their Bundesliga opener against Bayer Leverkusen despite losing several key players to injury over the course of the match. New summer additions Koki Machida, Wouter Burger, and Vladimir Coufal all had to exit proceedings. One day later, Hoffenheim confirmed a grim injury prognosis for Machida.
The Japanese international has suffered an a nasty ACL tear that will require immediate surgery. Machida will surely remain unavailable for the Sinsheimers for the duration of the 2025 calendar year. Burger (lateral ligament) and Coufal (thigh) have gotten off much more lightly. Burger is still set for an indefinite spell on the sidelines. Coufal, at least, appears to be okay.
The news counts as most disconcerting for Hoffenheim as the current state of the team coming out of training camp led to many predicting that the team would finish in the top four. Thankfully, there’s plenty of depth on the squad. Arthur Chavez adequately filled in for Machida in the Leverkusen victory. Umut Tohumcu did well taking over for Burger.
“This is bitter news for us and, of course, for Koki himself,” TSG sporting director Andreas Schicker noted in a club statement. “He has integrated excellently into the team in a very short time as a new signing and plays a significant role in our defense.
“This loss hurts us,” Schicker continued. “We expect Koki to be out for a long time and will thus keep our eyes open on the transfer market for a possible replacement at left center back.”
GGFN | Peter Weis
