The battle for a Europa League spot will take centre stage as Hoffenheim travel to Schalke in the Bundesliga this weekend. Two points separate the sides, with a win for the away side taking them above Schalke into sixth place in the standings.
Schalke could have had hopes of achieving a Champions League finish as the winter break came into effect. However, their form since the Bundesliga has resumed has spurned any chance of that happening. Their form is dragging them further down the standings, and at the end of this weekend, they could end the round as low as ninth in the league table. Their form over the last five games has been appalling, as they have failed to win and have also lost back-to-back games. Prior to those consecutive defeats, they had drawn three on the bounce.
Their most recent outing was in the DFB Cup, as they performed much better than they have recently against Bayern Munich. Before their meeting in the quarterfinal, Schalke had conceded eight goals in their last two, but they look much more resilient at the back in the 1-0 defeat. Joshua Kimmich scored the only goal of the game for the Bavarian side. If they defend like that against Hoffenheim, then they would have a good chance of ending their recent poor run of results in the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim’s form in the Bundesliga hasn’t been much better as they haven’t won in four. Over these results, they have lost three times and drawn just once. No side in the top half of the Bundesliga has conceded more goals than Hoffenheim this season, which means there should be goals in this fixture. In their last fixture, they were handed a ruthless 6-0 defeat by Bayern Munich. Hoffenheim only had one shot on target in that match, and only made 334 passes, which was half of the total recorded by Bayern. They will need to be much better if they want to get anything from this fixture.
Hoffenheim have won more meetings between the two sides, as they have won on ten occasions. Schalke have won eight times, and there have been six draws. The last meeting between the sides was won 2-0 by Schalke, with Andrej Kramaric and Ihlas Bebou scoring the goals.
Salif Sane and Benjamin Stambouli could be fit enough to return, but Oznan Kabak, Omar Mascarell and Juan Miranda will all be missing.
Ishak Belfodil, Sargis Adamyan and Munas Dabbur will all be unavailable for the away side.
There should be goals in this fixture judging by the defensive records of both sides. However, due to both teams’ form, it is hard to predict a winner, which means the over/under market may be the best place for value.
Tip: Over 2.5 goals.
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