Bundesliga: Hoffenheim Test of BVB’s Title Hopes

TSG Hoffenheim vs Borussia Dortmund  

Fourth plays second in the Bundesliga match of the weekend at the PreZero Arena, where TSG Hoffenheim entertain title-chasing Borussia Dortmund.  

BVB come into the game on the back of two Bundesliga wins and a shock exit from the German Cup, so head coach Marco Rose will task his players to keep up their momentum in the league.

Die Schwarzgelben last won the Bundesliga title back in 2012 and, since then, they have watched FC Bayern win the last nine, finishing second on an agonising five occasions.

Well, with 15 games to go in the 2021/22 season, BVB trail FC Bayern by six points with the chasing pack some eight points further back and so it is, once again, down to the Dortmunders to stop the serial winners from making it ten on the bounce.  

Bayern have a tricky game away to Hertha Berlin on Sunday, so Rose’s team has a chance to close the gap to three points on Saturday.

All they have to do is beat Sebastian Hoeness’s TSG Hoffenheim…but that is far easier said than done.        

Talking Points

Hoffenheim strong at home

TSG have been in fine form at home this season, winning six, drawing two and losing just once, and Hoeness has overseen an impressive improvement in the club since last season.

This time last year, Hoffenheim were 12^th in the table with 22 points, and they now sit in fourth place with 31 points and in the thick of the battle for a Champions League place.

It looks like two from Bayer Leverkusen, TSG, Union Berlin and SC Freiburg with only two points separating those four teams, though RB Leipzig are stirring from a poor first half of the campaign and are a further four points behind.     

Since the winter break Hoffenheim have had mixed fortunes. They started with a 3-1 home win over Augsburg as winger Ihlas Bebou scored a brace to make it seven goals from 15 games this season. But TSG followed that up with a 2-1 away defeat to top-four rivals Union Berlin last week.  

The hosts have a dangerous attacking threat with forward Giorginio Rutter scoring four goals and three assists alongside Bebou, while Croatian attacking midfielder Andrej Kramaric has contributed seven assists.  

Dortmund’s Bundesliga focus

The winter break came at a good time for BVB. They have returned to league action refreshed, kicking off with a 3-2 win away to Eintracht Frankfurt, never an easy place to go. And they followed that up with a 5-1 win over high flying SC Freiburg, to end any hopes of a double for Christian Streich’s Europe hopefuls.

Meanwhile, a shock defeat for leaders Bayern at home to Borussia Monchengladbach opened the door, and so BVB are still in the race for the title; but their Bundesliga 2022 results need to be nigh on perfect if they are to take the trophy away from Bavaria.

With 15 goals and six assists, Erling Braut Haaland continues to be one of the hottest properties in world football, and he is sure to lead the line against Hoffenheim alongside the experienced Marco Reus, who has added four goals and three assists.

Wunderkind Jude Bellingham is one of the best young talents in the world, a box-to-box midfield player with an incredible engine and alongside Julian Brandt, who has five goals and six assists, he provides support and supply to the front two.  

While their Bundesliga return has been going to plan, there was a shock for the BVB faithful, as well as SBOTOP football fans, as they were dumped out of the German Cup by second-tier St Pauli on Tuesday.

The holders went two-nil down by the break as Etienne Amenyido gave the underdogs a fourth-minute lead and Axel Witsel put through his own net to double the deficit. Haaland scored a penalty to prompt a Borussian onslaught, but the hosts held on to reach the last eight.  

Rose’s team will be desperate to get that defeat out of their system.

History

Borussia Dortmund have won 12 of their last 29 encounters with Hoffenheim, losing seven while there have been ten draws.

The two teams met at the Signal Iduna Park back in August where a 91^st-minute winner from Haaland gave the hosts a 3-2 win after TSG had twice fought back from behind.

BVB also won last season’s meeting at the PreZero Arena as Reus scored the only goal of the game.

Betting Tip 

	TSG Hoffenheim vs Borussia Dortmund	Borussia Dortmund Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.12
	January 22, 22:30 (GMT+8)

The TSG Hoffenheim vs Borussia Dortmund betting odds place Die Schwarzgelben as favourites, but slightly odds against for this crucial clash at a price of 2.09, while their hosts are at 2.97 and the draw is 3.45.

For an outside bet on the correct score line, 1-2 is at odds of 7.72 and if Rose can get a reaction from his players they could beat a third top-eight team in three weeks, and that will keep BVB’s title ambitions alive. 

 

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