Hoffenheim host Union Berlin at the PreZero Arena on Sunday afternoon on the second weekend of the new Bundesliga season, as they look to build on their impressive start to the new campaign.
It will not be easy however, as they meet a Union Berlin side fresh from a big win themselves in midweek.
Match preview
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Hoffenheim made the perfect start to the new Bundesliga campaign last weekend, beating Augsburg 4-0 away from home.
A dominating display, a clean sheet, four goals scored and a star performance from last season's main man Andrej Kramaric meant that Hoffenheim travelled back home with little to dampen their high spirits.
After an overall poor campaign last year, Sebastian Hoeness's men will now look to put together back-to-back wins to continue on from their strong finish that left them in a disappointing 11th place.
That was the side's lowest finish in the Bundesliga since the 2015-16 season, despite finishing with an unbeaten seven-match streak, which included wins in their final three home games.
A short pre-season preceded their opener last week, which saw the home side play only three matches in preparation for the new campaign. One win, one draw and a single defeat were played out before struggling to a 3-2 win away to third-tier side Viktoria Koln in the DFB-Pokal first round.
Extra time was required in the cup tie and Hoffenheim had to dig deep despite a strong lineup being fielded. Kramaric was the star in that game also, with two goals, which he then followed up with three assists against Augsburg.
The Croatian forward scored 20 goals in 28 Bundesliga matches last season so the hosts will be glad he has picked up from exactly where he left off.
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Union Berlin began their new campaign with a positive battling display at home to Bayer Leverkusen, which finished 1-1 last weekend.
The common characteristics of a side that performed admirably last season were on show again, with their commitment and solid defensive structure providing a strong foundation against a tough opponent.
These characteristics have seen Union Berlin finish impressively in 11th and seventh in their first two seasons in Germany's top flight. That fantastic campaign last year saw the Berlin side qualify for the Europa Conference League's debut this year.
Union began their European adventure in midweek away to Finnish side KuPS and a convincing 4-0 win sets them up positively for the weekend trip to Hoffenheim. Key forwards Max Kruse and Taiwo Awoniyi managed three goals between them on another positive note ahead of the second league match of the season.
Urs Fischer takes his side to the PreZero Arena hoping that a tiring schedule of matches every four days, with the bonus of European competition this campaign, will not disrupt their performances and energy levels too much.
Since their promotion two years ago, Union have a mixed record against Sunday's opponents. After losing their first two meetings, they did manage to triumph 3-1 in this fixture last season, followed by a 1-1 draw at home.
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Team News
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Andrej Kramaric will be the main man to watch as usual in Hoffenheim's forward line after his explosive start to the new season ensures he has picked up from where he left off last campaign.
The hosts will be relying on their key man even more so than usual due to the number of injuries they are currently suffering from.
Ihlas Bebou continues to struggle with a lack of match fitness, whilst an injury list consisting of Ishak Belfodil (thigh), Ermin Bicakcic (knee), Benjamin Hubner (ankle), Havard Nordtveit (thigh) and Robert Skov (foot) means there are some important players missing for Hoffenheim on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Union's list of absentees contains only a single doubt. Midfielder Grischa Promel is the only player likely to miss out for the visitors due to a lack of match fitness.
The lineup is likely to be rotated for fresh legs again after the midweek trip to Finland in the Europa Conference League win.
This means that key men Max Kruse and Taiwo Awoniyi will be leading the forward line, with Hoffenheim needing to keep a close eye on the threat they pose.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Akpoguma, Posch, Vogt, Raum; Rudy, Samassekou; Baumgartner, Kramaric, Bruun Larsen; Dabbur
Union Berlin possible starting lineup:
Luthe; Friedrich, Knoche, Baumgartl; Trimmel, Khedira, Haraguchi, Giesselmann; Ingvartsen, Kruse; Awoniyi
We say: Hoffenheim 2-1 Union Berlin
This game appears to be a tough one to call between two evenly matched sides on Sunday. We say the hosts will just edge out their opponents due to the home advantage, as well as being the fresher side after no midweek match compared with their visitors. Kramaric should be instrumental to continue his fantastic start to the new campaign.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hoffenheim win with a probability of 46.27%. A win for Union Berlin had a probability of 28.75% and a draw had a probability of 25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hoffenheim win was 1-0 with a probability of 10%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.29%) and 2-0 (7.85%). The likeliest Union Berlin win was 0-1 (7.54%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.83%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5.5% likelihood.
