Augsburg vs TSG Hoffenheim

WWK Arena is the venue as Augsburg and TSG Hoffenheim go head-to-head in a bottom-half Bundesliga six-pointer.

Perennial bottom-half Bundesliga strugglers Augsburg have blown hot and cold since the season resumed after the international break, with their five league matches in 2023 fluctuating between home wins (2) and away losses (3), including a 3-1 defeat at Mainz last time out. But back-to-back 1-0 victories over Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach at the WWK Arena should fill ‘Die Fuggerstädter’ with confidence as they bid to play down a ponderous seven-game home record against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga (W1, L6). With each of those six defeats coming by multi-goal margins, Augsburg’s prospects in this fixture look bleak, more so as they still hold the second-worst home record in the Bundesliga this season (W3, D2, L5). But the chance of winning three consecutive top-flight home games for the first time since December 2019 could still serve as a powerful motive.

On the other hand, TSG Hoffenheim maintained their disastrous six-game winless start to the new calendar year with a horrendous 3-1 home defeat to Leverkusen last weekend (D1, L5), all competitions included. Despite sacking underperforming boss Andre Breitenreiter on the eve of that loss, ‘Die Kraichgauer’ failed to bounce back on new manager Pellegrino Matarazzo’s touchline debut, slipping to just two points clear of 16th-placed Hertha Berlin. Unless Matarazzo douses the flames, Hoffenheim could be staring down the barrel of a four-match losing streak in the Bundesliga for the first time in their top-flight history. Playing on the road is unlikely to inspire much confidence, though, with Hoffenheim losing their last three away league outings by an aggregate score of 12-5, conceding 3+ goals on each occasion.