Will TSG not let anything go against their favourite opponents?
Though TSG Hoffenheim finished the 2021/22 season in ninth place, they picked up just three points out of a possible 27 in the final quarter. The uncertainty was correspondingly great after the opening defeat against Gladbach, from which the Sinsheimers then recovered immediately. Most recently, the Blue and Whites celebrated two victories in a row and climbed to sixth place in the table.
Now FC Augsburg, a team that has been very good to TSG recently, will be visiting the Prezero Arena. Hoffenheim have won seven of their last nine league games against the Fuggerstädter and have only lost one of eleven home games against FCA in the Beletage of German football. Consequently, in the run-up to the match between Hoffenheim and Augsburg, the odds are swinging in the direction of the home team.
Also considering that the Bavarian Swabians have already conceded seven goals and thus have the third weakest defence in the Bundesliga, there is a lot to be said for the goal-happy TSG being able to prolong their recent run of two wins in a row. Accordingly, Hoffenheim vs Augsburg tip 1 is playable.
Hoffenheim – Statistics & current form
It took TSG Hoffenheim 120 minutes to book their ticket to the next round in extra time in their first competitive match under Hoeneß successor André Breitenreiter at underclass SV Rödinghausen in the 1st round of the DFB Pokal.
When they then lost their opening match in the Bundesliga 3-1, bringing the team from Kraichgau to a season-long total of ten league games without a win, the worry lines grew again among those responsible.
13 of the 22 league games won against Augsburg
But then the team from Baden-Württemberg got the switch flipped again very impressively.
Against VfL Bochum, TSG turned a 0:2 deficit into a 3:2 home win, which loudly broke the knot.
Last weekend, the Sinsheim team followed up with a 3-0 away win at Bayer Leverkusen. Now they want a third win in a row against a favourite opponent. Hoffenheim have not won against any other Bundesliga team more often than against FCA (13 wins from 22 Bundesliga matches).
The second best offence in the Bundesliga
The Sinsheim attack has been particularly positive of late, scoring three goals in each of two consecutive games. Only Bayern have scored more often so far. Since the visitors from the Fuggerstadt also bring the third-weakest defence in the Bundesliga to Sinsheim, there is a lot to be said for betting 1 on Hoffenheim against Augsburg.
With five players out of action, the home side still has a few holes to fill. But all in all, most of the key players are on board – including goal-scorer Andrej Kramaric, who has already scored ten goals in twelve league games against Augsburg (four goals, six assists).
Predicted line-up of Hoffenheim:
Baumann – Angelino – Akpoguma – Vogt – Kabak – Skov – Geiger – Baumgartner – Prömel – Kramaric – Rutter
Last matches played by Hoffenheim:
Bundesliga
20/08/2022 – Bayer Leverkusen 0 – 3 Hoffenheim
13/08/2022 – Hoffenheim 3 – 2 VfL Bochum
06/08/2022 – Gladbach 3 – 1 Hoffenheim
DFB Cup
31/07/2022 – SV Rödinghausen 0 – 2 Hoffenheim
Friendly club matches
23/07/2022 – Hoffenheim 3 – 2 Verona
Augsburg – Statistics & current form
For FC Augsburg, the 2022/23 season got off to a decidedly mixed start. Enrico Maaßen’s side lost their first league match 4-0 at home to SC Freiburg, before the Fuggerstädter secured their first three points just a week later with a 2-1 away win in Leverkusen.
However, they could not confirm this performance. They promptly suffered another home defeat last weekend with a 2-1 loss against Mainz. On the other hand, the Bavarian Swabians could theoretically win the first two away games of a Bundesliga season for the first time ever if they can produce another strong performance on foreign soil.
Won only one of their eleven away games at Hoffenheim
However, the away trip to the Kraichgau is not under a really good star. The Fuggerstädter have only won one of their eleven matches in Sinsheim so far (four draws, six defeats).
Against this backdrop, the Bavarian Swabians are coming to Baden-Württemberg as underdogs.
The fewest shots on goal in the Bundesliga
The Augsburg defence is particularly problematic. The 14th-placed team in the pre-season has already conceded seven goals, which is the third-worst figure in the Bundesliga. And it should be pointed out that keeper Rafal Gikiewicz has already thwarted several of the opponents’ big chances and saved his team’s only points so far with strong saves, especially in Leverkusen.
With only 24 shots on goal – a negative figure in the league – the away trip to Baden-Württemberg does not augur well for the team.
Predicted line-up of Augsburg:
Gikiewicz – Iago – Bauer – Gouweleeuw – Gumny – Pedersen – Gruezo – Maier – Rexhbecaj – Jensen – Demirovic
Last matches played by Augsburg:
Bundesliga
20/08/2022 – Augsburg 1 – 2 Mainz 05
13/08/2022 – Bayer Leverkusen 1 – 2 Augsburg
06/08/2022 – Augsburg 0 – 4 SC Freiburg
DFB Cup
31/07/2022 – Blau-Weiss Lohne 0 – 4 Augsburg
Friendly club matches
23/07/2022 – Rennes 3 – 2 Augsburg
Hoffenheim – Augsburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 17 – 6 – 11
The two teams have faced each other a total of 34 times so far and with 17 wins, half of all games have gone to TSG Hoffenheim, who have also won seven of their last nine league games against FC Augsburg (two defeats).
Hoffenheim – Augsburg Tip
When it comes to Hoffenheim against Augsburg, the prediction clearly goes in the direction of the Sinsheim side, who have really got rolling recently under André Breitenreiter. After some defensive readjustments, they have recently recorded two wins in a row, with the offence scoring three goals in each. Against the equally tame and defensively susceptible Fuggerstädter, the third win in a row is therefore all the more likely.
In addition, FCA is TSG’s declared favourite opponent. So far, the Sinsheimers have not recorded more victories (13) against any other Bundesliga team than against the Bavarian Swabians. Seven of the last nine league encounters were won by the blue and white team.
