The German Bundesliga is really heating up, as we enter the final chapters of this exhilarating season with round 31 match-ups on offer this weekend. The TSG 1899 Hoffenheim will Eintracht Frankfurt at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena ( 17:30 CEST/15:30 GMT). The two sides will square off on Sunday (April 30th).The last time these two teams went to war, the match ended in a stalemate 0:0, back in December of 2016, but with Champions League and Europa League qualification up for grabs, the stakes have never been higher, and both sides will be desperate to claim all three points this Sunday.
TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM vs EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
3-Way: 1: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim -167; X: +351 Draw; Eintracht Frankfurt +589
Spread -1: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim -101 ; Eintracht Frankfurt -102
Total +2.5 : Over -145; Under +144
TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM
The TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM finished the 2015/2016 German Bundesliga season ranked 15th, just one point clear of the relegation. This year, the club has defied all expectations, and is riding high in the top half of the table. The club is currently ranked 4th in the league, just two points behind the Borussia Dortmund. With several round still to be played, the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has realistic ambitions of wrestling the 3rd spot away from their league rivals BVB, and with it, claim automatic Champions League qualification. However, on the other side, the team has all but secured the European play-off position this season, and will be looking to extend their gap between the fifth ranked Hertha BSC and themselves to twelve points this Sunday.
The TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is currently enjoying an excellent run of form in the German Bundesliga, which has seen the side win six of their last ten competitive matches in the league, and claim victory in six consecutive home matches. In addition, this relentless side is unbeaten in their last fifteen domestic matches played on home soil. Remarkably, the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim still hasn’t lost a game at home this season, maintaining a perfect record going into this Sunday’s clash, recording 10 wins and 5 draws.
At home, only the league leaders Bayern Munich FC has scored more goals this season. The Hoffenheim currently has scored a total of 57 goals, and the club has scored over 2.5 goals in eleven of their fifteen encounters played at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena. It will take a monumental effort from the visiting side, to prize the points away from this momentous side on Sunday.
The Croatian International and club forward Andrej Kramaric tops the clubs goal scoring chart with 12 goals for the season. The striker has been in excellent form this year, and has enjoyed another prolific season for the club. Trailing fractionally behind is the German sensation Sandro Wagner. The player has accumulated ten goals in the German Bundesliga this campaign, and fellow teammates Kerem Demirbay, Adam Szalai, and Mark Uth each havd a total of seven goals.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has no injuries or suspensions ahead of Sunday’s clash.
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
The Eintracht Frankfurt has enjoyed an excellent season, that is sure to have exceeded the clubs expectations harbored at the beginning of this German Bundesliga campaign. Last year, the club was fighting top flight survival, and narrowly survived the drop, in what was a dramatic ending to a tumultuous season. This time around, the Eintracht Frankfurt finds themselves chasing the Europa league qualification, just five points adrift of Hertha BSC Berlin, who currently occupy the 5th spot with 46 points.
However, after an immaculate start to the season, the Eintracht Frankfurt has seemingly hit a wall, and the sides promising start to the season has been eclipsed of late, by a succession of heavy losses. The club has managed to claim just one win in their last ten competitive matches in the league, and out of those remaining nine matches, the side has lost six, and drawn three. On the plus side, this one victory, came in their most recent match at home to Augsburg (3:1), which is sure to boost confidence ahead of Sunday’s hotly anticipated showdown between these two sides.
Away from home, the side has lost their last five domestic encounters, and has struggled to build any momentum, going into the closing stages of this season. That being said, the club’s current position, is up seven places from last season’s final league standing. The signs are ominous for Eintracht Frankfurt this Sunday, the team has claimed victory on only four occasions as the travelling side, and has tasted defeat on nine occasions.
The Eintracht Frankfurt currently has the worst goal scoring record in the league, and has only managed to find the net just thirty two times overall and only 10 times away from home this season. On the other hand, the club will be brimming with newly found optimism, after the sides dramatic win on penalties, in the DFB Cup semi final that took place in midweek (7:6).
The attacking forward Marco Fabian, is the club’s current top goal scorer, with seven goals. The Mexican’s last goal came in the sides latest league victory against Augsburg (3:1). The German striker Alexander Meier comes in a close second, with a goal tally of five for this season.
The Eintracht Frankfurt will have a number of absentees for this Sunday’s titanic duel. The defensive midfield duo of Makoto Hasebe and Slobodan Medojevic are doubtful for Sunday, as both players are suffering from knee related afflictions, and are not expected to feature. In addition, centre back Jesus Vallejo is suffering from a thigh injury, and is not expected to return to active duty until June. The club captain and attacking threat Alexander Meier is a doubt for Sunday, but could start on the bench.
TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM vs. EINTRACHT FRANKFURT PREDICTION
The Hoffenheim will continue their unrelenting quest of a finish in the top three this Sunday, just as Eintracht Frankfurt will be hoping to reanimate their lofty ambitions of European football next season. The visiting Frankfurt has lost their last five matches on the road, and to add insult to injury, the hosting Hoffenheim are unbeaten at home in the German Bundesliga this season, alongside the German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Personally, I think that the Hoffenheim will emerge triumphant in this classic clash. The club has a superior position in the league, and has proved impossible to defeat on home soil. Therefore I expect the Hoffenheim to salvage all three points when the sides meet this Sunday. However, I will put my safe bet in focus, taking the over 2.5 goals offered at -145.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-145)
