Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen will look to return to winning ways when they hit the road to square up against TSG Hoffenheim.
Both TSG Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen started the new campaign with a win but they ended up suffering a defeat in their second outing and they will be eager to get things back on track with a win here.
The home team kick-started the 2024/25 campaign with a win against Holstein Kiel. Veteran Andrej Kramarić bagged a hat trick to ensure they secured all three points in the opening game. But, they suffered a defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt in the second league outing.
Despite having a significant amount of the ball and creating a decent amount of chances, Hoffenheim were not good enough in the final third. They will host Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen hoping for a better collective performance in search of their second win of the season.
The visitors who were unbeaten last season in the league, suffered their first defeat in matchday 2 this time out. Leverkusen secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in their opening league game of the season. But, they couldn’t get the better of RB Leipzig in their second outing.
Alonso’s team dominated the proceedings, they had more of the ball and created more chances but ended up losing 3-2. They will be eager to return to winning ways when the action in the Bundesliga resumes after the international break. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
TSG Hoffenheim
Pellegrino Matarazzo will be without the services of Ihlas Bebou, Finn Becker, David Jurásek, Marco John, Ozan Kabak and Grischa Prömel.
Apart from the six, the availability of Umut Tohumcu is also a major doubt as he has a muscular issue.
The home team will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation where Oliver Baumann will be in goal. Tim Drexler, Kevin Akpoguma and Florian Grillitsch will make up the back three.
Pavel Kadeřábek and Alexander Prass will feature as the wing-backs while Dennis Geiger and Anton Stach will feature in the centre of the park. They will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure Leverkusen do not dominate the proceedings.
Andrej Kramarić who has been in red-hot form since the start of the season will feature as the attacking midfield behind the attacking partnership of Adam Hložek and Mergim Berisha.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Baumann; Drexler, Grillitsch, Akpoguma; Kadeřábek, Geiger, Stach, Prass; Kramarić; Hložek, Berisha
Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso is expected to have a fully fit squad for this fixture. Given how things panned out in their last outing before the international break, the Spanish manager will be tempted to make a few changes to his starting XI.
The visitors will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation where Lukas Hrádecký will be in goal. Nordi Mukiele, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapié will be the three centre-backs while Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo will feature as the wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Granit Xhaka will take charge alongside Aleix García. The duo will look to control the tempo and ensure they dominate the ball.
Florian Wirtz and Martin Terrier will provide the attacking threat. They will look to drift wide when needed and create chances for Victor Boniface who will be leading the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, García, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Terrier; Boniface
Key Stats
- TSG Hoffenheim’s Kramaric is the Bundesliga’s top scorer with four goals in the first two outings.
- Oliver Baumann is all set to make his 464th Bundesliga appearance. He has featured in the last 91 games in a row.
- Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team have only kept three clean sheets in their last 51 Bundesliga outings.
- Leverkusen are the first defending champions since Stuttgart in 2007/08 to have conceded four goals in their first two league games.
- While Leverkusen’s unbeaten run is a story of the past, they are still on the second-longest unbeaten away run in Bundesliga history with 18 games.
Player to Watch
Andrej Kramarić
The 33-year-old Croatian attacking sensation has been on fire in the initial games of the 2024/25 season. He already has four goals in his two league outings and will look to continue in a similar fashion when Hoffenheim resume their campaign after the international break. If they want to get the better of Leverkusen, the veteran attacker will have to deliver once again.
Prediction
TSG Hoffenheim 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
It is going to be a closely fought encounter between two teams who have had a similar start to the new season. Both will be eager to return to winning ways post the end of the international break but Hoffenheim don’t really have enough quality to take down Leverkusen. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Xabi Alonso’s team.
