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The German Bundesliga is heading to its home stretch with teams having four games left in the regular season. However, there is still plenty to play for in terms of European competition spots.
The Bundesliga’s week begins with a match that has both Europa League and Champions League implications when TSG Hoffenheim hosts RB Leipzig at the PreZero Arena on Friday, June 12, 2020. The match will be aired live via FS2 at 2:30 pm EST.
Heading to matchday 31, Hoffenheim is chasing a Europa League spot and they are just two points off that last position. On the other hand, RB Leipzig has figured in three disappointing draws since the restart. They are still in third place, three points ahead of their closest pursuers for the Champions League.
TSG Hoffenheim
TSG Hoffenheim went to Dusseldorf last weekend and forced a 2-2 draw despite falling behind and going a man down early. Dusseldorf opened the scoring in the fifth minute and then went a man up in the ninth. Hoffenheim came back to take a 2-1 lead before the home team got the equalizer in the 76th minute.
With the draw, Hoffenheim is now in 7th place in the current Bundesliga standings with 43 points from 12 wins, 7 draws, and 11 losses. They are just two points shy off the final Europa League spot and have been playing solid football since the restart of the season after the coronavirus break.
Andrej Kramaric leads Hoffenheim with a total of seven goals on the season while Christoph Baumgartner has six goals. Robert Skov leads the team with six assists on the season while also scoring four goals. Pavel Kaderabek has four assists while midfielder Sebastian Rudy also has contributed three assists for the team.
Oliver Baumann is Hoffenheim’s top goalkeeper as he has conceded 1.69 goals per 90 minutes this season. Baumann has a total of 5 clean sheets in 26 matches this term. Hoffenheim is ranked 9th in the Bundesliga in goals scored with a total of 42 on the term. They ranked 9th overall with 50 goals allowed this season and the team is 11th in the German top flight with 30 assists.
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig has been disappointing since the resumption of the season and they currently find themselves in a fight for a Champions League spot. Leipzig is currently third in the Bundesliga table with 59 points from 16 wins, 11 draws, and 3 losses. They are three points ahead of Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen but with a huge point differential, they have the edge over their closest competitors.
In their last outing, Leipzig hosted bottom team Paderborn and they emerged with a disappointing draw. They drew first blood in the 27th minute to take a 1-0 lead but went a man down. But then Christian Strohdiek tapped home a rebound in the 92nd minute to give the visitors a 1-1 draw. Leipzig is unbeaten since the restart but they have suffered consecutive home draws against Freiburg, Hertha Berlin, and Paderborn.
Timo Werner is the team’s top goalscorer with a total of 25 on the season. Patrik Schick also has double-digit goals this year with 10 while Marcel Sabitzer has found the back of the net nine times. Midfielder Christopher Nkunku leads the team with 10 assists while Werner also has eight assists for RB Leipzig.
Peter Gulacsi has conceded 0.86 goals per 90 minutes this season and is RB Leipzig’s top goalkeeper. Gulacsi has a total of nine clean sheets in 29 Bundesliga appearances this season. RB Leipzig is the third most prolific scoring team in the German top flight this season with a total of 75 goals. They rank second in goals conceded with only 32 allowed this term. Leipzig is also the league’s third-best passing team with a total of 53 assists this year.
Who Wins?
These two teams have met eight times before and it is RB Leipzig who leads their all-time head to head series at 4-2-2. Leipzig also won their reverse fixture matchup last December 2019 via a score of 3-1.
Hoffenheim is the 7th worst home team in the German Bundesliga with a total of 19 points earned from a 6-1-8 home record this season. On the other hand, RB Leipzig is the second-best road team in the German top flight this year with a total of 31 points garnered from a home record of 9-4-2.
Both teams are coming off disappointing draws in their last assignment. Both teams badly need the points here because Hoffenheim is trying to climb back to the 6th spot and earn a Europa League spot while RB Leipzig is trying to solidify their place in the Top 3. However, Leipzig is one of the best road teams in the Bundesliga, and with their struggles, they are due for a win. Hoffenheim has played well as of late but they have not faced a top-caliber team like Leipzig.
Prediction: RB Leipzig (-227)
Alternate Bet
This match is hard to pick and if you feel the same way, go for the scoring option here. Both teams have scored in four out of their last five head to head matches. Leipzig has found the back of the net in their last five matches played while Hoffenheim has scored in five out of its last six matches.
Leipzig has scored at least two goals in 11 out of their last 20 home games while Hoffenheim has conceded two goals in nine out of their last 20 away matches. 85% of Hoffenheim’s away matches ended with both teams finding the back of the net. This could be a high-scoring contest over 2 goals scored but with the over set at 3.5 goals, I have to settle with both teams scoring in the match.
Prediction: Both Teams to Score Yes (-200) at Bet365
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