The penultimate round is very important for teams that try to reach the Europa League. Hoffenheim and Werder are positioned below the red line, they are 8th and 9th, respectively, and Hoffenheim has still chance due to small point difference. Werder has four points fewer than the home team and can hardly reach the Europa League. The two teams drew their head-to-head played in the first part of season in Bremen 1-1.
Hoffenheim ruined its chances to qualify for the Europa League in two previous rounds, although nothing is over yet and even the Champions League is within their reach. Hoffenheim mostly played well in the second part of season and after recent four-game winning streak it seemed that are unstoppably marching toward European competitions, but the journey was stopped after painful home defeat by direct competitor in the race Wolfsburg by even 1-4.
In the previous round they played another match with another direct competitor, Borussia M’gladbach, and they drew 2-2 after having lead two times and being better team on the pitch. Borussia was saved by its goalkeeper but it was no console since two, perhaps key, points were dropped. Kramaric and Belfodil didn’t play well in two previous matches, which is why Hoffenheim didn’t win. Posch was showed a yellow card in M’gladbach and he cannot play now. Hoffenheim will play again in formation with four defenders, where new name in the starting line-up is midfielder Amiri.
Probable lineups 1899 Hoffenheim: Baumann – Kaderabek, Vogt, Bicakcic, N. Schulz – Grillitsch – Demirbay, Amiri – Kramaric – Belfodil, Szalai
Werder’s situation is very similar to one in which the home team is. The team from Bremen played really well in the second part of season and were invincible for a very long time and were able to score at least one goal in each match. Three rounds ago they had to face the reigning champion in Munich and that was the end of positive series of results. They lost by 1-0 although they weren’t bad and the key moment for their defeat was red card showed to Veljkovic. One defeat, and by Bayern, shouldn’t be too painful but they didn’t expect that was in fact a beginning of negative series of results that three days ago meant elimination from the DFB-Pokal semi-finals, again after losing to Bayern but this time in Bremen 3-2.
Two rounds ago they went to Dusseldorf and were soundly defeated 4-1, which will probably have dire consequences. In the previous round Werder showed character and won a point despite lead of 2-0 that Borussia Dortmund had in Bremen. Reservists Mohwald and Pizarro had brought the point that is not anymore so important but at least they ended series of defeats. Gebre Selassie and Moisander are starters again, but midfielder Klaassen is suspended due to accrued yellow cards.
Probable lineups Werder Bremen: Pavlenka – Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic, Moisander, Augustinsson – Sahin – M. Eggestein, Mohwald – M. Kruse – Osako, Rashica
Many would say that these two teams play the most offensive football in the Bundesliga and will most probably to do so in this match. Problem for both of them is that they lost steam lately, and this is especially true for Werder, so we give advantage to Hoffenheim. They will play at home and they need points more.
Pick: Asian handicap -1 Hoffenheim 1.71 - 71/100 @1XBet