TSG 1899 Hoffenheim vs Werder Bremen Prediction: Both teams to score and Hoffenheim to win

With the two teams tied up on 30 points, just one goal separates Hoffenheim in seventh position from Werder Bremen in eighth position. The game will be played at the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim on Sunday 3rd March 2024 at 19:30 (GMT+3).

Werder Bremen, with 30 points from 23 games, is now four points behind sixth-place Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga standings and a potential position in the UEFA Europa Conference League. However, Darmstadt was unable to halt the damage as they lost 2-1 to 10-man Stuttgart last weekend at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor. 

When it comes to the league in 2024, Hoffenheim has lost their last eight games. They just suffered their first home loss since November, losing 1-0 to Union Berlin after three straight draws. with the injury list growing ever tall, it remains to be seen the league position of Hoffenheim when the season ends. 

Following their 2-1 Bundesliga 1 victory against Borussia Dortmund, Hoffenheim is looking to win once more. Hoffenheim has not been able to hold out for the entire 90 minutes too often in the past. As a matter of fact, in six of their previous six games, Hoffenheim has conceded ten goals and failed to stop opponents from scoring. If that pattern can be maintained in this game, it will be intriguing to see.

Pellegrino Matarazzo, the head coach of Hoffenheim, will not have access to Marco John (ruptured cruciate ligament), Robert Skov (hamstring injury), Mergim Berisha (tear in cruciate ligament), and Grischa Prömel (injury to an inner ligament).

With Oliver Baumann, Pavel Kaderabek, Ozan Kabak, Florian Grillitsch, David Jurasek, Anton Stach, Finn Ole Becker, Umut Tohumcu, Andrej Kramaric, Ihlas Bebou, and Maximilian Beier in the lineup, we believe Hoffenheim will play a 4-3-1-2 formation.

Werder Bremen's most recent match resulted in a 1-1 draw with Darmstadt in the Bundesliga. Werder Bremen has benefited from eight goals in their past six matches. In all of those contests, Werder Bremen has also been successful in scoring goals. Four goals have been scored by their opponents during four matches. Werder Bremen had not lost any of their last five away league games going into this one.

Ole Werner, the manager of Werder Bremen, must choose a team with restricted availability. The following players are unable to play: Leon Opitz (ankle injury), Amos Pieper (broken ankle), Marco Friedl (syndesmotic ligament rupture), Niklas Stark (hip injury), Isak Hansen-Aarøen (torn muscle fiber), and Milos Veljkovic (knee injury).

Michael Zetterer, Julian Malatini, Christian Gross, Anthony Jung, Senne Lynen, Mitchell Weiser, Romano Schmid, Jens Stage, Felix Agu, Nick Woltemade, and Marvin Ducksch are among the players we believe Werder is most likely to start in a 3-1-4-2 configuration.

Examining their most recent head-to-head matches reveals that Werder Bremen has won one and Hoffenheim has won four, with one result being a tie. During those matches, Hoffenheim scored 14 goals and Werder assisted 6 goals, for a total of 20 goals shared by both teams. That translates to a 3.33 goal average per contest. On July 10, 2023, in Bundesliga 1 Match Day 7, Werder Bremen defeated Hoffenheim 2-3 in the last league game between the two teams.

We predict that Hoffenheim will dominate this game for extended periods and be able to convert some of their more favourable opportunities. A scoreline of 2-1 or 3-1 can be expected.