Borussia Dortmund vs TSG Hoffenheim
Two of the top Bundesliga clubs in Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim are set to square off at Signal Iduna Park to give us some Friday night football action.
After a rough setback against Werder Bremen a fortnight ago, Borussia Dortmund bounced back with a tight win against Hertha Berlin, while Hoffenheim are on a three-game winning streak following their opening loss at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Fourth place Hoffenheim may be above fifth place Borussia Dortmund at the moment, but the visitors haven’t beaten their hosts in quite some time now in league play.
The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds reflect that, so Die Kraichgauer will have their work cut out for them if they are to end their losing streak this weekend.
Talking Points
Anthony Modeste on a mission for Borussia Dortmund
Former Koln star Anthony Modeste has finally hit the ground running this season as he opened his Borussia Dortmund scoring account against Hertha Berlin, which was enough for them to claim all three points.
Salih Ozcan – who also happens to be a teammate of Modeste before at Koln – received a brilliant pass from Marius Wolf and then he launched a cross from the right hand side for Modeste to head it in the back of the net at the 32nd minute.
It was a great moment for Modeste and Borussia Dortmund are hopeful that he’ll stay in great form all season long. They’ll need it since summer signing Sebastien Haller is out indefinitely due to a testicular tumour.
When Modeste was added by the Yellow Wall few weeks ago, many had their reservations since the Frenchman is slowly approaching the twilight of his career at 34 years of age.
He did lead Koln in scoring last term with 20 goals, with 10 of them being headers. Given Modeste’s physical profile, he should excel in BVB as a target man for crosses towards the penalty box.
Modeste’s difficult start can be attributed to him acclimating to Edin Terzic’s system, but he will adjust and produce more Bundesliga 2022 highlights in these next few weeks.
And once Borussia Dortmund’s injury list eases up, they should be able to challenge Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga crown once more.
Can Hoffenheim sustain their hot start?
Die Kraichgauer’s tally of nine points from their first four games is their second-best start to a Bundesliga campaign since 2010/11 (10 points). Andre Breitenreiter’s arrival last May has improved the team’s morale following their disappointing end to their 2021-22 season with three losses on the bounce.
Despite their spate of injuries, Hoffenheim are fighting and everyone is contributing. As of this writing, they already have seven players who have scored at least once this season.
Leading the way is Christoph Baumgartner with two, while Andrej Kramaric is their top playmaker with two assists thus far. They occupy the same side of the pitch and their connection is what fuels their attack.
Hoffenheim’s defence has also improved a ton under Breitenreiter since they’ve posted back-to-back clean sheets in the league for the first time since April 2021.
If they can hold BVB scoreless this weekend, they would equal a club record for the longest streak of shutouts in the Bundesliga, which was previously achieved in January 2021.
History
Hoffenheim are winless in their last four meetings against Borussia Dortmund. BVB did the league double over Hoffenheim last term for the first time ever and they could enjoy three consecutive victories against Die Kraichgauer for the first time in the Bundesliga this Friday evening.
BVB, though, have only won once in their last four league home matches against Hoffenheim (D2, L1) and they’ve conceded at least twice in each of those four games.
Since 2018/19, Borussia Dortmund have conceded 11 goals on home soil against Hoffenheim – which is more than against any other team in that stretch.
Their shocking defeat to Werder Bremen in their last home game meant that they’ve dropped points in at least one of their first two home matches of a top-flight campaign for the first time since 2014/15.
Betting Tip
The Bundesliga 2022 odds like Borussia Dortmund’s chances to win this contest. BVB are installed at 1.63, while Hoffenheim are pegged at 4.80 and a draw is at 4.00 in the 1X2 market.
While we anticipate this to be a tight affair, we’re picking the hosts to win because of their resilience and stronger quality overall. However, the visitors are going to make sure that they’ll earn it.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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