Hoffenheim will welcome Werder Bremen to the PreZero Arena this Friday for the ninth round of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season.
Venue: PreZero Arena (Sinsheim)
Key Statistics
Hoffenheim are unbeaten in their last four home games (W3, D1).
They have kept three clean sheets in their last six league games.
The hosts have scored 13 goals in the league this season. Only five teams have scored more goals.
Hoffenheim have conceded eight goals this season. Only the top three teams (Union Berlin, Freiburg, and Bayern Munich) have conceded fewer goals.
Werder Bremen have scored 18 goals this season. Only Bayern Munich have (23) scored more.
The visitors are unbeaten in their last eight away games in all competitions (W5, D3).
They have scored in their last 17 away games.
Head-to-head
Hoffenheim are unbeaten in their last four head-to-head games with Bremen (W3, D1).
Latest performances in all competitions
Hoffenheim: D-D-W-L-W
Bremen: W-D-L-W-L
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim will look to continue their impressive start to the season when they welcome Werder Bremen to PreZero Arena this Friday.
The hosts have made an excellent start to the season as they occupy fifth place following back-to-back draws (W4, D2, L2), in what is their best eight-game start since 2017/18 when they finished third.
Under the management of André Breitenreiter, Hoffenheim are looking like an ambitious club with the manager stating that he has “great ambitions” for the club. He has so far backed his declaration of ambition with works as only former manager Ralf Rangnick has managed to pick up more than Breitenreiter’s 14 points after this many games.
But Breitenreiter will have the rapturous atmosphere at the PreZero Arena to thank for much of his early success this season as the boisterous crowd at the club’s home ground has proven crucial in Hoffenheim’s unbeaten start in home Bundesliga games (W3, D1). With an 82% unbeaten rate as home league favourites since the start of last season (W10, D4, L3), confidence should be high.
Possible Hoffenheim starting line-up
Oliver Baumann; Ozan Kabak, Kevin Vogt, Kevin Akpoguma; Pavel Kaderabek, Girscha Proemel, Christoph Baumgartner, Dennis Geiger, Angelino; Andrej Kramaric, Georginio Rutter.
Injured: Benjamin Hubner, Ihlas Bebou, Ermin Bicakcic
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Bremen
While Hoffenheim boasts of an unbeaten home record, Werder Bremen have proven to be the masters of road trips.
The visitors have not tasted defeat away from home in the league this season having won two and drawn two of their opening four league away games. That unbeaten run stretches even further back when you add their run in the lower division, meaning that Bremen are unbeaten in their last eight away games in all competitions.
To make matters better for them, they come into this tie as a side full of confidence after their 5-1 demolition of Borussia Mönchengladbach last time out. The result was the River Islanders’ greatest margin of victory in over two years since a 6-1 win over Cologne and makes them the best performing promoted side after eight rounds since Hannover in 2017/18.
Ole Werner’s men are the comeback kings in the Bundesliga this season and are fast becoming famous for producing grandstand finishes with a league-high eight goals scored beyond the 80th minute so far.
If anyone can spoil Hoffenheim’s unbeaten home record, it could be Werder Bremen, a side who will be looking to record their first win over Hoffenheim in five tries having lost three of their last four head-to-heads.
Possible Bremen starting line-up
Jiri Pavlenka; Amos Pieper, Milos Veljkovic, Niklas Stark; Mitchell Weiser, Romano Schmid, Christian Gross, Ilia Gruev, Anthony Jung; Niclas Füllkrug, Eren Dinkci.
Injured: Marcin Dcujsch, Benjamin Goller, Dikeno Salifou, Jean-Manuel Mbom
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
Hoffenheim 2-1 Bremen
