TSG Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich

TSG Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich are set to trade tackles at the PreZero Arena in a tasty-looking Bundesliga showdown. 

Hoffenheim kept their hopes of securing continental qualification alive with a scintillating 6-0 rout of rock-bottom Darmstadt, moving into the final European spot. There’s still a chance to leapfrog Eintracht Frankfurt into sixth, but it’s only theoretical, considering they trail Die Adler by three points and lament a worse goal difference. Encouragingly for the home fans, the abovementioned thrashing of Darmstadt ended Hoffenheim’s embarrassing 27-game league run without a clean sheet. That relieved some pressure on manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, who’s still seeking his first managerial triumph against Bayern Munich after seven failed attempts (D3, L4). Chances are his barren run will continue, with Hoffenheim losing four of their last six top-flight H2Hs (D2).

Meanwhile, beleaguered Bayern Munich returned to winning ways with a 2-0 home victory against Wolfsburg last weekend, softening the blow of a first trophyless season since 2011! After surrendering a decade-long stranglehold on the Bundesliga, Thomas Tuchel’s side bowed out of the Champions League semi-finals in heartbreaking fashion, conceding twice beyond the 85th minute to lose 2-1 at Real Madrid. That was their second consecutive defeat on the road in all competitions, putting them at risk of a three-game losing away streak for the second time in 2024! The Bavarians can draw confidence from their traditionally emphatic results in the season finale, with only one defeat from their last 20 campaign-ending Bundesliga fixtures (W17, D2).