Schalke vs TSG Hoffenheim

Schalke 04 and TSG Hoffenheim are set to square off at Veltins Arena in a match between the two underperforming Bundesliga sides.

Schalke’s swift return to the Bundesliga has not brought much joy to home fans’ faces as the hosts head into proceedings languishing in the dreaded relegation playoff spot following an abysmal league start. Last weekend’s 4-0 thumping at Bayer Leverkusen marked Schalke’s third top-flight defeat on the trot, two of which saw Frank Kramer’s side fail to get on the scoresheet. But it’s not the attacking game that torments Kramer but rather his team’s defensive frailties that have witnessed 21 goals conceded across the opening nine Bundesliga rounds, a record second only to rock-bottom Bochum (23). Hoffenheim’s visit to Veltins Arena won’t be dolling out any favours to the ‘Miners,’ considering they’ve racked up a mere two wins across their last ten Bundesliga H2Hs (D3, L5), though one of them was a 4-0 romping in their most recent duel here.

On the other hand, TSG Hoffenheim found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline against Schalke’s fellow promoted rivals Werder Bremen last time out, extending their winless Bundesliga run to three matches (D2, L1). Despite picking up just one win across their five previous top-flight outings, ‘Die Kraichgauer’ enter this round on the periphery of the top four, with fourth-placed Borussia Dortmund only two points away. Spanning back to the tail-end of the 2021/22 season, Andre Breitenreiter’s men have collected only five points from their last eight Bundesliga away matches (W1, D2, L5), meaning a victory at Veltins Arena is far from a foregone conclusion. Scoring has been a genuine issue for Hoffenheim on the road this term as they’ve netted under 1.5 goals four times across their four Bundesliga travels so far.