The cloverleaf on negative record chase
Tasmania Berlin is considered the team with the worst record in the Bundesliga. This season, however, SpVgg Greuther Fürth are setting out to claim the dubious glory that the Berliners reaped in the 1965/66 season. At least the Franconians’ start to the season has already been worse than Tasmania’s 56 years ago.
The Spielvereinigung is the only club in the German top flight to have picked up just one meagre point after twelve games. According to the three-point rule, Tasmania brought it to ten points at the time. The Fürth team is still a long way from that this season. Needless to say, the cloverleaf is now bottom of the table.
The gap to the penultimate place is already eight points. They are eleven points behind the last-place team. In this condition, one should not assume that the Franconians will succeed in staying in the league. Even before the clash between Fürth and Hoffenheim, the forecast is clearly pointing in the direction of an away win.
Hoffenheim are in tenth place in the table. In the Kraichgau, mediocrity is the order of the day, which is mainly due to the weak performances away from home.
Fürth – Statistics & current form
Fürth were relegated in their first season in the top flight and Stefan Leitl’s team is facing the same fate this season. However, the coach is not up for grabs. The bosses at the Ronhof are demonstratively backing the coach and the mood at the cloverleaf is said to remain good.
Historical series of bankruptcies
Till today, Greuther Fürth has been waiting for a Bundesliga victory in their own stadium. They have now lost ten matches in a row. Only 1. FC Nürnberg conceded eleven defeats in a row in the mid-80s. With a series like that, it’s basically unnecessary to even consider the odds on a home win in the Fürth vs. Hoffenheim match.
The promoted team has not yet managed to keep a clean sheet once this season. Last week, that dream was also over after just a few minutes when they fell behind early in Gladbach. Fürth were no more than a plaything and could well have lost by more than 0:4 in the end.
At least there is light at the end of the tunnel in terms of personnel. Dickson Abiama, Sascha Burchert, Maximilian Bauer, Jeremy Dudziak and Nils Seufert are back in training after infections. Gideon Jung has also overcome his injury and could be part of the team again. Jetro Willems, Paul Seguin, Cedric Itten, Justin Hoogma, Jessic Ngankam, Nick Viergever and Luca Itter, however, will certainly be missing.
Predicted line-up of Fürth:
Funk – Barry, Griesbeck, Sarpei, Meyerhöfer – Tillmann, Christiansen – Hrgota, Green, Leweling – Nielsen – Coach: Leitl
Last matches played by Fürth:
1st Bundesliga
11/20 2021 – Borussia Mönchengladbach 4 – 0 Greuther Fürth
11/07 2021 – Greuther Fürth 1 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
10/30 2021 – SC Freiburg 3 – 1 Greuther Fürth
10/23 2021 – RB Leipzig 4 – 1 Greuther Fürth
10/16 2021 – Greuther Fürth 0 – 1 Vfl Bochum
Hoffenheim – Statistics & current form
You could almost be satisfied at Hoffenheim if you compare their current performance with the previous season. The Kraichgauer have five points more on their account than at this point in the last season, but because they have dropped too many points this year, there is still a lot of room for improvement at 1899.
Away things are not going well
While they have already won five games to nil, which is the best record in the Bundesliga, and have won four in a row at home recently, they have managed just one point from their last five away games in the top flight. That doesn’t sound like you necessarily have to predict an away win in the duel between Fürth and Hoffenheim.
However, Sebastian Hoeneß’ team proved what they are capable of last weekend in Sinsheim. With a great performance, they beat RB Leipzig 2-0 at home. Although the Kraichgauer had to do without Andrej Kramaric, goals from Diadie Samassekou and Munas Dabbur were still enough for another home victory.
So there is no great need to make changes. Andrej Kramaric, however, will almost certainly play from the start again. However, TSG still has a few players out. Ermin Bicakcic, Jakob Bruun Larsen, Marco John, Pavel Kaderabek, Sebastian Rudy and Robert Skov will certainly be absent. There is still a question mark behind Christoph Baumgartner.
Predicted line-up of Hoffenheim:
Baumann – Vogt, Posch, Grillitsch – Geiger, Samassekou – Raum, Akpogouma, Dabbur – Bebou, Kramaric – Coach: Hoeneß
Last matches played by Hoffenheim:
1st Bundesliga
11/20 2021 – Hoffenheim 2 – 0 RB Leipzig
11/06 2021 – Vfl Bochum 2 – 0 Hoffenheim
10/29 2021 – Hoffenheim 2 – 0 Hertha Berlin
DFB Cup
10/26 2021 – Hoffenheim 5 – 1 Holstein Kiel
1st Bundesliga
10/23 2021 – Bayern Munich 4 – 0 Hoffenheim
Fürth – Hoffenheim Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The teams of Greuther Fürth and Hoffenheim have faced each other only eight times so far. In the direct comparison, the Kraichgauer are ahead with 4:2 wins and two draws. It is striking that many goals are scored in the encounters between these two teams. In eight games, 32 goals were scored, which makes an average of four goals per game.
The last duel was not that long ago. Last season, both teams met in the second round of the DFB Cup. In Sinsheim last December, the Franconians, at that time still a second-division team, won on penalties. After 120 minutes, Andrej Kramaric and Kevin Akpogouma were on the scoresheet for TSG, as were Sebastian Ernst and Marco Meyerhöfer for Fürth.
Fürth – Hoffenheim Tip
If the Spielvereinigung want to gain ground in the table again, then victories are slowly needed. The only problem is that the Franconians, who are playing their second season in the top flight, have yet to celebrate a Bundesliga victory in their own stadium. In addition, they have recently lost ten point games in a row.
The cloverleaf will probably win at some point, the only question is when that will happen. TSG could be a tailor-made opponent, because Sebastian Hoeneß’s team doesn’t get much going away from home.
But we can imagine that the Kraichgauer will now take the momentum from their last home win against RB Leipzig away with them. Even if things didn’t go so well away from home, Spielvereinigung could be the opponent to knock over the away buck. That is why we have decided to bet on a win for the visitors between Fürth and Hoffenheim at good odds.
