Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin Preview & Prediction | 2022-23 German Bundesliga
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THE FACTS
When is Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin on and what time does it start? Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin will take place on Saturday 20th May, 2023 – 14:30 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin? Visit each club’s official website for the latest ticket information
What channel is Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin on in the UK? Sky Sports have the rights to German Bundesliga matches in the UK so it is worth checking their schedule for Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin
Where can I stream Hoffenheim vs Union Berlin in the UK? If televised on Sky Sports, Hoffenheim vs Union Berlincan be streamed live on the Sky Go app
THE LOWDOWN
HOFFENHEIM
With two games remaining for Hoffenheim in the regular season, the onus is on them to guarantee their survival without needing other results to go their way. As it stands, they sit 14th-place in the Bundesliga heading into these final two rounds of fixtures with a three-point cushion between themselves and the automatic relegation places. However, just two points currently separate them from 16th-placed Schalke 04, which puts into perspective the importance of this encounter from Hoffenheim’s point of view. Defeat to Union Berlin could well see them drop two places depending on the results of both Schalke and Bochum.
A poor start proved Hoffenheim’s undoing away to Wolfsburg in their most recent league match. After conceding first in the 15th minute, it was always going to be a tough task for Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side. The second half failed to spark a revival and they fell further behind on 75 minutes through Luca Waldschmidt. A late own-goal from Josuha Guilavogui ended up proving nothing more than a consolation for Hoffenheim, who were beaten 2-1, their third defeat across their last four Bundesliga fixtures.
UNION BERLIN
The Bundesliga awaited with interest last weekend to see Union Berlin’s response to being beaten away at Augsburg, as they faced off against fellow Champions League chasers Freiburg in what was a crucial showdown in the battle for top four. The response from Urs Fischer’s men was emphatic! It took just five minutes for Union to take the lead, Kevin Behrens sending the home fans wild before Sheraldo Becker added a brace before half-time. It was a masterful individual performance from Becker, who not only scored twice but also assisted Union’s first and fourth goals respectively. Although two goals for Freiburg had the hosts sweating, Aissa Laidouni put the game to bed with ten minutes to play, sealing a vital 4-2 win for Union.
Fischer will have been particularly happy at how potent his team were from an attacking perspective after having previously gone consecutive league games without scoring. Indeed, the victory over Freiburg was the first time that Union have scored more than one goal in a Bundesliga fixture since April 1st, when they defeated Stuttgart 3-0. They’ll be hoping for a similar display of offensive efficiency against Hoffenheim.
THE TEAM NEWS
HOFFENHEIM
A change could be made within the Hoffenheim frontline with Kasper Dolberg a contender to gain a starting spot with Mu'nas Dabbur potentially making way. However, Stanley Nsoki continues to serve a suspension following his sending off against Eintracht Frankfurt and won't feature here. Also expected to miss out are injured duo Pavel Kaderabek and Kevin Vogt.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-1-2): Baumann; Kabak, Brooks, Akpoguma; Bebou, Geiger, Promel, Angelino; Kramaric; Baumgartner, Dolberg
UNAVAILABLE: Kaderabek (Injured), Nsoki (Suspended), Vogt (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
UNION BERLIN
After being taken off against Freiburg, a foot injury is expected to sideline midfielder Andras Schafer for Union Berlin's trip to Hoffenheim. Aissa Laidouni should come into the side in the centre of Union's midfield three, whilst Urs Fischer may be tempted to rotate at left-wing-back with last weekend's substitute Niko Gisselmann no doubt chomping at the bit for an opportunity ahead of Jerome Roussillon.
PREDICTED XI (3-5-2): Ronnow; Doekhi, Knoche, Leite; Juranovic, Laidouni, Khedira, Haberer, Giesselmann; Becker, Behrens
UNAVAILABLE: Schafer (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
THE PREDICTION
Such a resounding win last time out will have done wonders for confidence among the Union Berlin camp and they come into this one exceedingly high on momentum, which doesn’t bode well for their opponents. Hoffenheim are fighting for their lives and are unlikely to make things easy for Union, as was the case against similar high-flying opposition that Hoffenheim faced last month such as RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich. But the quality of this Union Berlin outfit cannot be debated and a similar level of performance as they showed last time out should be enough to get the better of Hoffenheim. Back the visitors to win via the draw no bet market for extra security.
TIP: UNION BERLIN DRAW NO BET
