Bayern Munich vs TSG Hoffenheim
The Thomas Tuchel era at Bayern Munich is off to a tough start. After a big win at Der Klassiker, Tuchel’s side have dropped two of their last three games and suffered a 3-0 beating at the hands of Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek.
Tuchel now turns his attention back to the Bundesliga, where a tricky test against Hoffenheim awaits at the Allianz Arena.
Hoffenheim have won three games in a row to claw themselves out of the relegation zone. But the Bundesliga 2023 betting odds will be overwhelmingly against them as they visit the reigning champions, who have not lost at home this season.
Talking Points
Bayern suffer early setbacks under Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel’s stint as Bayern Munich boss is off to a decent start in the Bundesliga. They’ve won two out of two and retain a two-point lead over Borussia Dortmund.
However, Tuchel’s side have been tripped up twice in cup competitions. After suffering a shock 2-1 home defeat to Freiburg in the DFB-Pokal, Bayern were crushed 3-0 by Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Bayern were once again without starting striker Eric Choupo-Moting, who has now missed the last two games with a knee injury. Tuchel again started Serge Gnabry up front ahead of Sadio Mane and Thomas Muller, who were both on the bench.
Tuchel is expected to make a few changes to his lineup ahead of the crucial second leg against City. The likes of Mane, Muller, and Joao Cancelo are likely to step in against Hoffenheim after only coming on as substitutes against City.
Bayern have been absolutely brilliant at home in the Bundesliga. They are unbeaten at Allianz Arena in 13 games, with 9 wins and 4 draws. In fact, their only home defeat of the season came in the cup tie against Freiburg.
They have been especially dominant of late. They have won their last four home games, scoring 15 goals during that stretch.
Hoffenheim rising from relegation trouble
Hoffenheim are suddenly headed for safety. After losing his first five games in charge – a part of their disastrous 14-match winless run – coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has led Die Kraichgauer to three wins on the bounce to lift the club up to 14th in the table, five points clear of the relegation play-off.
Although, it should be noted that Hoffenheim’s opponents in their three-game win streak haven’t been the strongest; two of their wins came against the bottom two, Hertha Berlin and Schalke, while the other was against an out-of-form Werder Bremen. But Matarazzo’s men should still be high on confidence after those important Bundesliga 2023 results.
Speaking of confidence, strikers Andrej Kramaric, Christoph Baumgartner and Ihlas Bebou should be full of it as they’ve found the scoresheet in recent games. Kramaric has scored four goals in his last five games for club and country, Baumgartner has two goals and two assists in his last four, while Bebou has scored two in his last three.
Hoffenheim had gone on a horrific run of six straight away defeats in the Bundesliga, which was finally snapped with their 2-1 win at Werder Bremen.
History
Bayern Munich have dominated Hoffenheim over the years. They have a massive 18-4 advantage in wins, with six draws.
Hoffenheim had a bit of success against Bayern recently, with all four of those wins coming between 2017 and 2020.
But Bayern have regained control of this matchup. They are unbeaten in their last four matches against Hoffenheim, with three wins. That includes their first meeting of the season, a 2-0 win at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena with goals from Jamal Musiala and Choupo-Moting.
Betting Tip
SBOTOP odds have Bayern Munich installed as massive 1.17 favourites over Hoffenheim, who are priced at 9.75. A draw is 7.00.
Bayern Munich will no doubt be motivated to bounce back at home after their heavy defeat to Manchester City. But just how willing are they to exert themselves against Hoffenheim, especially with the second leg of their Champions League tie coming up in just a few days’ time?
My guess is, not much. While Bayern have more than enough quality to come away comfortable winners, it might not be the high-scoring match that they have had in recent home games.
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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