GYMNASTIC VILLAGERS

Liverpool struggled a little against the South-western German Bundesliga club "Turn und-Sportgemeinschaft 1899" more likely known as TSG1899-Hoffenheim E.V. for short. The Bundesliga club plays at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar Arena which holds just over 30,100 crowd.  As it happens a stunning free kick by debutant right back Trent Alexander-Arnold . The German side had not lost at home all through last season.

The club started in August 1899 as a gymnastics' club with 20 young men who met in two pubs the "Zum Engel" (at the angel) and the "Zum Rossee" (at the sea??). As the winter kicked in (so to speak) the lads chose to run around a bit more outside and hence the introduction of a football!  The Fusballverein formed in 1921 and by 1945 the gym club, Turnverein Hoffenheim merged with the footballers. In the 1990s the club was in the 8th division playing as an amateur.

Hoffenheim is described as a "village" in Baden Wurttemberg (state capital is Stuttgart) and hosted a club in the 5th Division of the German league in 2000. With an investment from financial wizard and software entrepreneur, Dietmat Hopp, the club has risen through the German ranks to the Bundesliga by 2008. In 2016-17 they came 4th in the division and thereby qualify to play against Liverpool.
http://www.achtzehn99.de/tsg-en-us/history/

Following an injury strewn career with Munchen and Augsburg,  TSG's manager Julian Nagelsmann, took charge of TSG after reading a Business degree and then a Sports' Science degree at university. He has been described as a "Mini Mourinho" and at 28 years old he is the youngest manager in the Bundesliga. His career record at that level is Played 50 Won 24 and Drawn 16. He was German Manager of the Year in 2017.