Bayern Munich will aim to end the frustrating 2023/24 campaign on a high when they take on Hoffenheim at the Rhein-Neckar Arena on Saturday.
The curtains will fall on a memorable 2023/24 Bundesliga season with Matchday 34 on Saturday. All nine fixtures will kick off simultaneously, with outgoing champions Bayern Munich locking horns with TSG Hoffenheim at the Rhein-Neckar Arena.
Hoffenheim would have hoped for an upper mid-table finish in the 2023/24 season after flirting with relegation and ending in the 12th spot last term. So, their fans will be delighted with Die Kraichgauer occupying the seventh spot and being in contention to qualify for the UEFA Europa League. However, with SC Freiburg only a point behind, the home side cannot afford to slip up.
As for Bayern Munich, they seldom enter the final round of fixtures in the Bundesliga vying for the top prize. Even rarer are the instances where they head into Matchday 34 after losing the title race. However, 2023/24 has been such an anomaly that Die Roten will end a campaign without a trophy for the first time in over a decade. So, Saturday’s match is a dead rubber for the away side.
Bayern Munich cruised to a 3-0 win over Hoffenheim in the reverse fixture, with Jamal Musiala scoring a match-winning brace and Harry Kane also finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
TSG Hoffenheim
Pellegrino Matarazzo does not have any new injuries hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Bayern Munich on Saturday, the TSG Hoffenheim manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Stanley Nsoki (hip), Dennis Geiger (groin), Mergim Berisha (knee), and Marco John (knee) remain on the sidelines, with the latter duo being long-term absentees for the home side. Otherwise, Matarazzo has a full-strength squad.
Oliver Baumann will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 3-4-1-2 formation in front of him against Bayern Munich. The central defensive unit should feature Florian Grillitsch, Kevin Akpoguma, and Ozan Kabak. Pavel Kaderabek and Marius Bulter should be the two wing-backs, with the duo contributing on both ends of the pitch.
Meanwhile, Anton Stack and Grischa Promel should pair up in the middle of the park, looking to keep things tight in the central areas while initiating swift transitions. Finally, Ihlas Bebou and Maximilian Beier will be the two strikers, with Andrej Kramaric completing the numbers in the attacking unit.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Baumann; Grillitsch, Akpoguma, Kabak; Kaderabek, Stach, Promel, Bulter; Kramaric; Bebou, Beier
Bayern Munich
Unlike his counterpart in the TSG Hoffenheim dugout, Thomas Tuchel has new issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Rhein-Neckar Arena. The Bayern Munich manager will be without ten first-team players on Saturday.
Kim Min-jae (ankle) and Bryan Zaragoza (calf) are the latest absentees, with the duo picking up their injuries last weekend against VfL Wolfsburg. The duo has joined Raphael Guerreiro (ligament), Tarek Buchmann (hamstring), Leroy Sane (abdominal), Serge Gnabry (hamstring), Jamal Musiala (knee), and Kingsley Coman (groin) on the sidelines.
In addition, Tuchel has been sweating over the fitness of Harry Kane (back) and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (illness), with the duo likely to miss out on Saturday. So, Mathys Tel will lead the line for Bayern Munich against Hoffenheim on Saturday, with Lovro Zvonarek, Thomas Muller, and Alphonso Davies joining him in the final third.
Manuel Neuer will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Bayern Munich lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Hoffenheim. The backline should feature Joshua Kimmich, Matthijs de Ligt, Eric Dier, and Noussair Mazraoui. Finally, Konrad Laimer and Leon Goretzka should pair up in the double pivot in the middle of the park.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, de Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui; Laimer, Goretzka; Zvonarek, Muller, Davies; Tel
Key Stats
- Bayern Munich can do the league double over TSG Hoffenheim for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign.
- Bayern Munich are unbeaten in their last six league meetings with Hoffenheim (W4 D2) and also have a clear lead in the overall record with 20 wins in 31 encounters (D7 L4).
- TSG Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich are the two teams whose matches have produced the most goals in the Bundesliga thus far this season, with 133 in games involving Die Roten and 126 with Hoffenheim.
- Since a 2-0 win over FC Schalke 04 in April 2023, Hoffenheim have gone 19 Bundesliga home games without a clean sheet at the Rhein-Neckar Arena. If Bayern Munich find the back of the net on Saturday, TSG will become only the third club in Bundesliga history to go a whole season without a clean sheet at home.
- Thomas Tuchel has amassed 33 points in 15 Bundesliga clashes with Hoffenheim thus far, more than he has against any other club in the competition.
Player to Watch
Leon Goretzka
While Harry Kane would ideally have been an option for this section due to his hunt for Robert Lewandowski’s single-season record, we have picked Leon Goretzka as our player to watch after his omission from Germany’s squad for UEFA Euro 2024.
The 29-year-old has been a fixture in his national team’s squad for several years. However, a blow-hot-blow-cold campaign with Bayern Munich has hampered his prospects, with Goretzka missing out on a UEFA Euro 2024 berth. So, he will be eager to prove himself and produce a game-changing display. A top-notch performance can give him the chance to return to the group if a player picks up an injury.
Prediction
TSG Hoffenheim 2-2 Bayern Munich
Pellegrino Matarazzo has spoken in glowing terms about Hoffenheim’s form heading into the game against Bayern Munich this weekend. The hosts have been impressive this term, making a mark with their output in the final third.
With Bayern Munich displaying a soft underbelly this season, Hoffenheim can spring a surprise by taking an early lead. However, the hosts also have a sub-par defensive record and will end the 2023/24 season without a clean sheet at home in the Bundesliga. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought contest between the two sides before it ends in a 2-2 draw.
