Breitenreiter following in the footsteps of Nagelsmann and Rangnick

After eight match days in the Bundesliga, it is already possible to say which teams have surprised positively, but also negatively, and which teams are fully on target. Among the clubs that were perhaps not expected to be quite so strong are TSG Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen. The next few weeks will show whether both are playing beyond their means. On Friday, however, they will open the ninth matchday in a direct duel.

Andre Breitenreiter came to TSG as a master coach from Zurich and is now living up to his billing in the Kraichgau. With 14 points from eight games, he is just as successful as Julian Nagelsmann before him when he took office. Only Ralf Rangnick has made an even better start with the Kraichgau club in the Bundesliga. Now comes the phase in which Hoffenheim must confirm this good start.

In the Bundesliga table, Hoffe is currently in fifth place and has only one point less than the top dogs Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, for example. They are even only three points off the top. First of all, that sounds like you have to make a prediction on a home win in the Hoffenheim vs. Werder Bremen match.

However, the team from the Weser has also started the season well and, with twelve points, has only two less than TSG.

Hoffenheim – Statistics & current form

It’s not as if the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim is known as a witches’ cauldron. Nevertheless, there seems to be a feel-good factor there for the Kraichgauer. TSG are still unbeaten in their own stadium so far this season. Ten points from four games mean third place in the home table, level on points with Union Berlin and RB Leipzig.

Home strong Kraichgauer

On Friday, first place not only beckons in this ranking. With an emphatic victory, the Kraichgauer could even take over the top spot in the Bundesliga table, at least temporarily. Andre Breitenreiter, however, will only be after the three points for now. Bookmakers are offering lower odds on a home win in the match between Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen.

In the past seven matches, 1899 have conceded only one defeat. However, they have also only drawn twice recently, including last Sunday at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Andrej Kramaric even put his team in the lead at first, but Hertha soon equalised 1-1, and it stayed that way until the end.

On Friday, Andre Breitenreiter will still have to do without the long-term injured Ihlas Bebou, Ermin Bicakcic and Benjamin Hübner. All other players should be ready for action. That means Hoffenheim will have several options. Robert Skov, Kevin Akpogouma or Georginio Rutter are all candidates for the starting eleven. Andre Breitenreiter almost has a luxury problem there.

Predicted line-up of Hoffenheim:
Baumann – Kabak, Vogt, Nsoki – Kaderabek, Geiger, Skov – Prömel, Baumgartner – Kramaric, Rutter – Coach: Breitenreiter

Last matches played by Hoffenheim:

Bundesliga
02/10/2022 – Hertha BSC 1 – 1 Hoffenheim

19/09/2022 – Hoffenheim 0 – 0 SC Freiburg

10/09/2022 – Hoffenheim 4 – 1 Mainz 05

03/09/2022 – Borussia Dortmund 1 – 0 Hoffenheim

27/08/2022 – Hoffenheim 1 – 0 Augsburg

Werder Bremen – Statistics & current form

Werder Bremen were only absent for one year and yet Ole Werner’s team is a promoted team and against this background the Green-Whites are doing really well this season. Especially away from home things are going well. Bremen are still unbeaten away from home this season and have picked up twice as many points in their away games as they have at home.

Gate machine Füllkrug

This is largely due to Niclas Füllkrug, who leads the Bundesliga scoring charts with seven goals. He is thus following in the footsteps of such great predecessors as Rudi Völler or Miroslav Klose. It is possible that the attacker will jump on the World Cup bandwagon of the German national team. In any case, we won’t go too far out on a limb with our prediction of a goal from Füllkrug in the match between Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen.

You may have to wait a long time for the redeeming goal, though, as Werder’s last six away goals all came from the 82nd minute onwards. Last week it was quicker, but Gladbach was also a guest at the Weserstadion and the SVW dispatched the Foals 5:1. Two goals by Niclas Füllkrug and Marvin Ducksch, Mitchell Weise and an own goal were on Bremen’s credit side in the end.

Basically, there is no reason for Ole Werner to change his formation. However, it is conceivable that Leonardo Bittencourt will make his comeback in the starting eleven. It is also certain that Amos Pieper will replace Niklas Stark in the three-man line-up after serving his yellow card. Only Jean-Manuel Mbom and Dikeni Salifou are unavailable to the SVW due to injury.

Predicted line-up of Werder Bremen:
Pavlenka – Pieper, Veljkovic, Friedl – Weiser, Groß, Jung – Schmid, Gruev – Füllkrug, Ducksch – Coach: Werner

Last matches played by Werder Bremen:

Bundesliga
01/10/2022 – Werder Bremen 5 – 1 Gladbach

Friendly club matches
22/09/2022 – Hannover 96 2 – 0 Werder Bremen

Bundesliga
17/09/2022 – Bayer Leverkusen 1 – 1 Werder Bremen

10/09/2022 – Werder Bremen 0 – 1 Augsburg

03/09/2022 – VfL Bochum 0 – 2 Werder Bremen

Hoffenheim – Werder Bremen Direct comparison / H2H-balance

To date, TSG Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen have crossed paths 28 times. The direct comparison is a clear affair for the Green-Whites, who are 12:6 ahead after victories. The two rivals have drawn ten times alone. In recent years, however, the Kraichgauer have improved their record considerably.

Hoffenheim have only lost one of their last eleven Bundesliga matches against SV Werder. The last two duels took place during Bremen’s relegation season, when they initially parted with a 1-1 draw on the Weser. The second leg in Sinsheim was then a clear affair for TSG, who won 4-0 after goals from Ihlas Bebou, Christoph Baumgartner, Munas Dabbur and Georginio Rutter.

Hoffenheim – Werder Bremen Tip

TSG Hoffenheim have made a squeaky clean start to the season and are currently one of the best clubs in the Bundesliga, especially at home. With ten points from four home games, Andre Breitenreiter’s team is still unbeaten at the PreZero Arena. Therefore, the goal must be to keep the three points at home on Saturday.

However, Werder Bremen will be our guests, a team that has not lost away from home this season.

We think that both teams will score or that more than 2.5 goals will be scored. This is mainly because the team from the Weser has the Bundesliga’s most accurate attacker in its ranks at the moment. Because he is on a roll, we are offering betting odds on a goal from Niclas Füllkrug in the match between Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen.