The Matchday 21 clash in the Bundesliga between Hoffenheim and Union will take place on February 8 at the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim. Hoffenheim vs. Union: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Hoffenheim
In the previous round, the Sinsheim side suffered a 1-3 away defeat to Bayer. Christian Ilzer's team has failed to win in 8 of their last 9 league matches (3 draws, 5 losses), conceding at least one goal in each of these games. Hoffenheim has conceded 40 goals, with only three clubs performing worse in this regard. The team currently occupies 15th place in the standings.
Defender Leo Estigor has joined the club.
- The Sinsheim side has conceded first in 9 of their last 10 Bundesliga games.
- Both teams scored in 12 of Hoffenheim's last 14 league matches.
- The club has not kept a clean sheet in 30 consecutive home games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Hoffenheim (4-5-1)
Luca Philipp – David Jurasek, Arthur Chaves, Kevin Akpoguma, Robin Granach – Erencan Yardimci, Adam Hlozek, Dennis Geiger, Tom Bischoff, Finn Ole Becker – Marius Bulter.
Union
Steffen Baumgart's side drew 0-0 at home against Leipzig in the last round. Notably, the Berlin team managed to keep a clean sheet for the first time in their last 10 league matches. However, there's little joy in this as the team has only one win in their last 13 Bundesliga games (4 draws, 8 losses). In the league table, the club is three points ahead of their nearest rival.
- The Berlin side is on a six-game losing streak away in the league.
- In 8 of their last 10 away Bundesliga matches, Union has not scored more than one goal.
- The team did not lose to the Sinsheim side in 7 of their last 9 head-to-head encounters in this tournament (5 wins, 2 draws).
Predicted lineup for Union (4-3-3)
Frederik Ronnow – Josip Juranovic, Danilho Doekhi, Diogo Leite, Robert Skov – Laszlo Benes, Janik Haberer, Rani Khedira – Ivan Prtajin, Benedict Hollerbach, Tim Skarke.
Referee
Tobias Stieler (Germany)
Matches – 9 (Bundesliga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 37;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 20;
Penalties – 56%.
Hoffenheim vs. Union: Match Prediction
Both teams are languishing at the bottom of the league table, making the stakes high in this match. However, the game is unlikely to be cautious from both sides as neither team excels defensively, suggesting a potentially high-scoring encounter. In terms of the result, my preference is for the Sinsheim side, who, although struggling to collect points at home, do so more frequently than the Berliners do away.
Union has failed to win in 14 of their last 15 away league matches (4 draws, 10 losses). In the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, Steffen Baumgart's team has only managed an away victory against Holstein Kiel, who are in the relegation zone. Following this, the team embarked on a series of away defeats, conceding at least two goals in 5 of the 6 matches during this period.
Hoffenheim has yet to keep a clean sheet at home this season, so they might concede even against the least scoring team in the tournament. However, the Sinsheim side has scored in 12 of their last 14 home Bundesliga games, which suggests they will find ways to exploit the unreliable defense of their nearest opponent.
My prediction: Hoffenheim not to lose and Total Over 1.5 goals
* Each team's lineup reflects their starting lineup in their previous match in this tournament.
