RB Leipzig vs TSG Hoffenheim

RB Leipzig and TSG Hoffenheim are set to trade tackles in a high-stakes Bundesliga showdown at the Red Bull Arena.

Leipzig’s confidence ahead of this clash could be at an all-time low following an 8-1 aggregate thrashing at the hands of Manchester City in the Champions League last-16 and an abysmal run of three defeats from their last five Bundesliga outings (W2). Manager Marco Rose must rally his troops if he wants to guide ‘Die Roten Bullen’ to European qualification, with fourth-placed Freiburg still within a manageable two-point distance. With a competitive-looking DFB-Pokal semi-final tie against Freiburg waiting in the wings, Leipzig will be looking to bolster their confidence by building on their impressive historical home H2H record against Hoffenheim (W5, D2, L1). Rose’s men triumphed 3-1 at Hoffenheim in the reverse H2H after leading at the break, something they have excelled in this term, having held the Bundesliga’s third-most half-time leads (14) to date.

On the other hand, visiting Hoffenheim slumped to a disastrous 3-1 home loss to Cologne last weekend, inflicting significant damage on their bid to secure Bundesliga survival. With only four points keeping them away from the drop zone at the start of this round, ‘Die Kraichgauer’ must quickly regroup and rediscover the form that had seen them win three straight league matches before going winless in the last two Bundesliga rounds (D1, L1). Avenging that loss to Cologne may not be as unimaginable as it appears, with Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side taking home points from their two most recent top-flight travels (W1, D1). But having failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their eight competitive away games in 2023 (W1, D1, L6), the visitors will likely have to grind their way to points.