On 23rd January, TSG Hoffenheim will welcome English side Tottenham Hotspur to the Rhein Neckar Arena for the penultimate round of Europa League fixtures before the knockouts commence. The game is well poised, as both teams will be eagerly looking to turn tides from their recent performances, hoping to start a new win streak.
Tottenham are currently are in 9th in the Europa League table, looking for an automatic qualification spot, whereas Hoffenheim are on the other end fighting to make their way into the play-off positions.
Form Guide and Team Performance
Home side Hoffenheim come into this game in poor form, winning just 1 of their last 5 games across all competitions. A heavy 5-0 defeat to Bayern and 2-1 loss to struggling Borussia Monchengladbach have left them languishing in 15th, just one spot away from the relegation zone.
However, Hoffenheim head into Thursday’s clash with Spurs on the back of a morale-boosting 3-1 away win against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga, putting an end to their nine-game winless run across all competitions.
What Hoffenheim fans will be thankful for is that Spurs themselves have been struggling to find good form. Ange Postecoglou’s men have managed 2 wins in their last 5 games, one being an extra-time victory in the FA Cup over National League side Tamworth. Tottenham are not in the best of form and have a lot of injuries to key players right now, which showed at Goodison Park as the Londoners were beaten 3-2 on Sunday. They sit 15th in the league table, 8 points away from the drop zone.
Key Players
TSG Hoffenheim:
- Andrej Kramaric: By far Hoffenheim’s most prolific name, Kramaric has scored 7 this season and will have to be at his best for Hoffenheim to win
- Adam Hlozek: Czech striker/winger Hlozek has 8 goal contributions this season and has spearheaded the attack with Kramaric
- Tom Bischof: At just 19, Bischof has been a key in Hoffenheim’s midfield and can contribute in both attack and defense.
Tottenham Hotspur:
- Heung-Min Son: One of the few consistent players in the side, captain Son will have to take charge and steer Tottenham back to winning ways.
- Dejan Kulusevski: The Swedish winger has scored 9 and assisted 8 this season; he’ll have to carry the same goalscoring form into this game.
- James Maddison: The creator in this attacking 3, Maddison has also been an active goalscoring and playmaking threat for Spurs.
Scoreline Prediction
TSG Hoffenheim 1 – 2 Tottenham Hotspur
Man of The Match: Dejan Kulusevski
- Key Stat: Four of Tottenham’s last six matches have ended with both teams scoring.
- Over 2.5 Goals: Tottenham have good attacking capabilities, and their weak defense has leaked 35 goals in the league this season.
- Both teams to score: Both sides are poor defensively, and the chances of both teams scoring are high. 1xBet has odds of 1.41 on both teams to score.
- Anytime Goalscorer: Andrej Kramaric and Kulusevski seem to be safe bets for anytime scorers, as both are in good goalscoring form.
Conclusion
Both teams come into this game fighting for their own positions, and apart from positions at stake, rumors of Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou getting the sac are also surely set to impact this clash.
Hoffenheim will look to assert home side dominance from the start and force a few errors from an injury-ridden Spurs side.
Goals can be expected with weakened defenses, and a possibly high-scoring encounter might be on the cards.
