January 23, 7:45 p.m. Sinsheim. Stade Rhein-Neckar Arena
Europa League. Day 7
Hoffenheim (Sinsheim, Germany) against Tottenham (London, England)
Suspensions : None
Injured: Anton Stach, Ozan Kabak, Grisha Promel, Ihlas Bebou, Christopher Lenz, Umut Tohumcu, Diadi Samassekou, Erencan Yardimci, Marius Bülter – Rodrigo Bentancur, Wilson Odobert, Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Mickey van de Ven, Yves Bissouma, Dominic Solanke Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie
Hoffenheim vs Tottenham: Cotes des bookmakers
The match at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena offers Hoffenheim a chance to secure a historic first victory against an English club. In their four previous meetings with English teams, the “Farmers” suffered defeats: in 2017 against Liverpool during Champions League qualifying and in 2018 against Manchester City during the group stage of the same tournament.
Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim are struggling to establish themselves among Germany’s elite. The current reality sees the team fighting for survival. The winter break in the Bundesliga didn’t really improve Hoffenheim’s form, but they managed to end a run of nine matches without a win. Last weekend, Christian Ilzer’s side achieved a decisive away victory against direct rivals Holstein Kiel (3:1), allowing them to escape the relegation zone.
In the Europa League, Hoffenheim’s results were also disappointing. The team currently finds themselves out of the playoff spots, having collected only six points in six matches. To advance to the next round, they must obtain at least four points from their last two matches. Their hopes rest heavily on the match against Tottenham, especially as it will take place at home, where Hoffenheim have secured 83% of their points. In this Europa League season, Hoffenheim defeated Dynamo Kyiv (2:0) at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, drew with Lyon (2:2) and played a scoreless draw against FCSB.
-Tottenham
Spurs are currently going through one of their most difficult periods. In their last six Premier League games, the Londoners have only managed to collect one point, which has dropped them to fifteenth place. This series of setbacks has increased the pressure on coach Ange Postecoglou, with discussions about his possible departure becoming more and more pressing. Performances in the English League Cup and Europa League now appear to be the only way for the current manager to keep his job.
However, Tottenham’s problems go beyond their poor results in the Premier League. The team is dealing with significant injuries, which have been a major factor in their unsatisfactory performances in the league. The Spurs infirmary is overflowing. Additionally, Sergio Reguilon and Jed Spence were not included in the Europa League squad, and January new arrival Antonin Kinski is also unavailable for this tournament. This situation severely limits Postecoglou’s tactical options and rotation capabilities.
On the one hand, the Australian desperately needs a positive result in Sinsheim: a victory would guarantee Tottenham’s progression to the round of 16 and lighten the atmosphere within the team, which is probably quite heavy at the moment . On the other hand, the manager must ensure that his players remain fresh, as they aim to end their spiral in the Premier League and avoid further injuries to the squad this coming Sunday.
Hoffenheim vs Tottenham: Projected Teams
Hoffenheim vs Tottenham: Author’s Prediction
Given the current state of both teams, we can expect a goal-rich match. Compared to others in the Bundesliga table, Hoffenheim have been prolific in attack but have also conceded a lot. The same can be said for Tottenham. However, I tend to believe that Spurs will emerge victorious. With a superior talent pool, Tottenham’s individual quality could prove decisive in this match. My prediction is a Tottenham victory with goals from both teams.
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