Rhein-Neckar Arena
9.04.2023, 20:30
The Rhein-Neckar Arena is the venue when Hoffenheim (fifteenth on the Bundesliga table) welcomes Schalke who are bottom of the Bundesliga league. This match will take place on 9th April 2023 at 20:30 (GMT +3). The match between the relegation-threatened rivals will be key as a win for either side will improve and may in the long run help that team to avoid relegation.
Hoffenheim will be looking for their third straight victory to help them move out of the relegation zone. In their previous league match, they defeated Werder Bremen 2-1 with Kramari and Baumgartner scoring.
Schalke, on the other hand, has struggled in recent league games, going winless in their previous three. They were defeated 3-0 at home by Bayer Leverkusen in their first league game after the international break.
Hoffenheim is the favorite for this game considering the number of influential players not available to Schalke due to injuries. Missing from the Schalke squad are Justin Heekeren, Sepp van den Berg, Soichiro Kozuki, Tim Skarke, and Sebastian Polter due to injury while Jere Uronen is currently healing from an issue with his adductor. Also, Moritz and Karaman missed last week's game against Leverkusen and it's unclear whether they'll be available on Sunday.
Grab Your Sign-Up Bonus!Hoffenheim (LLLLWW)
After 10 games without a win, Hoffenheim has won back-to-back league games, lifting them out of the relegation zone. As one of the most stable teams in the Bundesliga and a squad that participated in two of Europe's greatest club championships just a few years ago, only a handful of people could have expected that Hoffenheim would be in such a difficult position.
Many football fans were confused by their unexpected deterioration in form, especially given their great start to the season. (four wins from the opening six rounds). Hoffenheim, for now, is in a safe position, with 25 points earned, four short of the hazardous zone, and three of the spots that lead to a play-off with the third-ranked team. Hoffenheim has the second-worst home record, winning 4, drawing 2, and losing 7 at the PreZero Arena while scoring only 18 goals.
Hoffenheim has shown on two occasions this season that can win games against Schalke. Die Kraichgauer celebrated a 3-0 victory in the Bundesliga against Schlake, which was followed by a comfortable 5-1 victory in the DFB Pokal.
Against Schalke, Hoffenheim has a strong home record and has been unbeaten at the ProZero Arena since 2016. They have experienced an improvement in form and are eager to make it three victories in a row.
Hoffenheim's possible starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Baumann
Defenders: Vogt, Brooks, Akpoguma
Midfielders: Kaderabek, Geiger, Becker, Angelino
Strikers: Kramaric; Bebou, Baumgartner
| Stats | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | Scored | Conceded | Goal diff |
| Home | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 23 | -5 |
| Away | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 17 | 23 | -6 |
Schalke 04 (DWWDDL)
Schalke has struggled this season but seemed to have discovered their winning touch. This was short-lived as Schalke is on a three-game winless run in the league games. They were defeated 3-0 at home by Bayer Leverkusen in their first league game after the international break.
The seven-time Bundesliga winners are no longer the solid and dominant force they once were. Schalke look set to return back to the Championship they won to get promotion to the Bundesliga after a miserable season in the top division in the Bundesliga.
The away team has accrued 21 points after 26 matches in this year's Bundesliga, putting them in a humiliating 17th place. Analyzing the away table reveals that Schalke is the 14th team in the Bundesliga when considering only away matches.
Schalke has won 1 and lost 5 of the away games played with the remaining ending in draws. Away from home, Schalke has scored 7 but conceded a whooping 17 goals. Schalke has lost just one away game since the turn of the year and is on a four-game unbeaten run.
Schalke's 04 possible starting lineup
Goalkeeper: Fahrmann
Defenders: Brunner, Yoshida, Jenz, Matriciani
Midfielders: Kral, Krauss; Drexler, Zalazar, Bulter
Striker: Frey
| Stats | Played | Win | Draw | Lost | Scored | Conceded | Goal diff |
| Home | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 31 | -7 |
| Away | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 17 | -10 |
Head to Head
| Stats | Total | Hoffenheim | Schalke 04 |
| Games played | 19 | 13 | 9 |
| Goal scored | 95 | 49 | 46 |
| PreZero Arena | 14 | 8 | 1 |
| VELTINS-Arena | 15 | 5 | 8 |
| Over 1.5 goals | 92% | 75% | |
| Over 2.5 goals | 77% | 67% | |
| Over 3.5 goals | 69% | 42% | |
| BTTS | 69% | 42% | |
| BTTS & Win | 23% | 0% | |
| BTTS & Over 2.5 goals | 69% | 25% | |
| BTTS No & Over 2.5 goals | 0% | 17% | |
| Over 9 corners | 62% | 67% |
Expert Betting Tips
Hoffenheim has a strong home record against the visitors and has been unbeaten at the site since 2016. They have improved their record and have won two games in a row after suffering seven straight defeats. They'll be hoping to make it three victories in a row.
Schalke has only lost one league game since January and is unbeaten in their previous four away games. Nonetheless, given their terrible record at the ProZero Arena, the hosts will easily prevail. We expect a win for the home side with over 2.5 goals. A safe bet will be a win for the home side and over 1.5 goals. BTTS is also very like, hence potential scoreline is 2-1, 3-1, or 4-1.
Below are the expert's bets to consider.
- W1 and over 1.5 for 2.39 odds (1xbet);
- Over 2.5 goals for 1.96 odds (Coinplay);
- BTTS for 1.75 odds (Bet365)