Bundesliga: Hoffenheim and Bayern are Ready to Rumble

TSG Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich

Fourth plays second in the Bundesliga clash of the weekend when Hoffenheim welcome Bayern Munich to the Rhein-Neckar Arena and it promises to be a cracker.

Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann comes up against the club he made his managerial name at, successfully coaching TSG between 2016 and 2019, leading the club to the Champions League for the first time in its history. And now, Hoffenheim’s new head coach Andre Breitenreiter has similar ambitions and he’s made an impressive start.

Both teams were in cup action in midweek and put on five-star performances in the DFB Pokal second round. Hoffenheim hammered Schalke for the second time in four days, this time 5-1, while Bayern handed out a 5-2 whacking to Augsburg.  

And in the league, they both arrive on the back of a big win last week. Hoffenheim had an impressive 3-0 victory away to Schalke while Bayern battered top four hopefuls SC Freiburg 5-0. So you’d like to think we’ll get some pretty good Bundesliga 2022 highlights in Hoffenheim this weekend.

Talking Points

Musiala coming of age at Bayern

While the Bundesliga 2022 betting odds overwhelmingly back Bayern for the 2022/23 title, Union Berlin are the team to catch in the early stages of the campaign.

Even a win for Bayern on Saturday won’t topple the Berliners but, already four points adrift, Nagelsmann won’t want to see the gap increase to six or seven even at this relatively early stage.

Union Berlin visit bottom club Bochum on Sunday so we must assume the leaders will pick up another win.

Following a summer of some turmoil when former talisman Robert Lewandowski engineered a move to Barcelona, Sadio Mane arrived from Liverpool and the Senegalese star has settled well, scoring five league goals already.

But it is 19-year-old attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala who’s getting the fans off their feet and he has already contributed five goals and five assists. He’s a skilful operator with a superb range of passing and great dribbling skills, and he loves to slice open opposition defences.

Hoffenheim have plenty to think about, but they will be minded to play to the final whistle as that has benefited Bayern’s opponents this season.

The recent Der Klassiker turned out to be a hugely frustrating match for Nagelsmann as he watched his side throw away a 2-0 lead after the brilliant Musiala had set up goals for Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane.

Youssoufa Moukoko halved the deficit on 74 minutes and when Kingsley Coman was sent off on 90, and Die Schwarzgelben threw the kitchen sink at it and Antony Modeste headed in a 95^th minute equaliser.

And not so long ago, Bayern went into injury time against Stuttgart with a 2-1 lead only to concede a penalty which Serhou Guirassy slammed home.  

Dabur is Hoffenheim’s biggest threat  

Head coach Breitenreiter has made a strong impression in his first season at the helm in Hoffenheim.

The club finished ninth last term and Breitenreiter is gearing the team up for a serious improvement, and they have a chance to show what they can do against the very best on Saturday. 

Israeli striker Munas Dabbur is top scoring with four and he bagged two in Hoffenheim’s DFB Pokal win over Schalke. The 30-year-old made his name at RB Salzburg, scoring 44 goals in 76 games for the Austrian Bundesliga side and he will give the Bayern defence a good test with his strong running, aerial ability, and fierce shot.

Alongside Dabbur, Hoffenheim favourite Andrej Kramaric is still performing well with two goals and three assists, while midfield ace Christoph Baumgarter will try to expose any space he can find in the middle of the park.   

History

A relatively young side in the modern era of German football, TSG Hoffenheim only have a Bundesliga 2 runners-up award in the trophy cabinet, picked up during their rapid rise to join the elite in the 21^st century.

In contrast, Die Bayern have a trophy room bursting at the seams, boasting 32 Bundesliga titles, 20 DFB Pokals, and six Champions League crowns.

Unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich have had the best of the head-to-head encounters with TSG Hoffenheim, winning 20 of the last 30 meetings, drawing six, and losing just four.

Last term, this fixture ended in a 1-1 draw as Robert Lewandowski scored the equaliser after Baumgarter had volleyed the hosts in front. Bayern missed a host of chances but TSG battled hard for their point.

Recent form favours the Bavarians too with five wins and a draw from the last six games while Hoffenheim have won three, drawn two, and lost one.   

Betting Tip

TSG are at SBOTOP odds of 5.80 to win, while Bayern are at 1.46 and the draw at 4.26, and the hosts can be backed with a Double Chance Win or Draw at 2.51. 

This is a big test for Bayern and I think Hoffenheim will fancy their chances of getting something, so I’m hoping for a high-octane 90 minutes with plenty of goalmouth action at both ends.

 

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