Sabasports Match Preview
Bundesliga: Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich
Kickoff Time: 2024-05-18 21:30(HKT)
Source:REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth
This is the final game of this season’s Bundesliga. Hoffenheim currently rank seventh in the league with 43 points and are expected to compete for European qualification for next season. Judging from the current situation, Hoffenheim have started a small climax of grabbing points, securing seven points in the past four league rounds and scoring 13 goals during this period. The offensive end is full of firepower. In the last round of the league, 21-year-old newly promoted German international Maximilian Beier scored twice, leading them to a 6-0 victory. This season, Beier have scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga, making him the U21 player with the most goals in the league. Hoffenheim have always been an attack-oriented team. Their tactical system focuses on ball control and passing, and they excel at exploiting weaknesses in their opponents through quick counterattacks and precise passing. Taking the last round of away games against Darmstadt as an example, Hoffenheim’s ball possession rate reached 60.1%, with 649 passes made and a passing success rate of 88.75%. Since this is the last home game of the season, Hoffenheim’s home tickets sold out last week, and fans are eagerly anticipating witnessing the highlight moment when their beloved team qualifies for European competition.
After crashing out of the Champions League, Bayern endured a trophyless season for the first time since 2012. Since there is no hope of winning the Bundesliga, Bayern have begun to train young players in recent league matches to prepare for next season in advance. Taking the last round of the league as an example, in addition to Alphonso Davies, who rose to fame at a young age, Bayern fielded seven U23 players in the game. Among them, Bayern’s second team members Matteo Perez-Vinlof and Jonathan Asp-Jensen made their first-team debut. In recent years, the Bundesliga has shifted towards valuing speed and technique, and Bayern have become an advocate and follower of this trend. However, there is insufficient understanding between young players and first-team stars, which may result in increased unforced errors. In the last round of the league, Bayern committed as many as 12 mistakes. Besides the fading glory of championship, internal turmoil within Bayern is even more concerning. Of particular worry for fans is the uncertain head coach situation. In February of this year, coach Thomas Tuchel lost the support of the locker room, and Bayern officially announced that Tuchel would leave his post at the end of the season. However, Bayern’s coaching search has not progressed smoothly. After being turned down by numerous coaches, retaining Tuchel became a last resort. It remains uncertain how much cohesion the players can demonstrate in this game.
Bayern’s stars will prioritize the European Championship in June and aim to avoid injuries during the game. Judging from the motivation and determination to secure points, Hoffenheim are poised to dominate their opponent completely. With the support of the last home game of the season, we believe Hoffenheim can maintain a clean sheet at home.
Hoffenheim’s Last 5 Games: WDLWL
24-05-12 Darmstadt 0-6 Hoffenheim
24-05-04 Hoffenheim 1-1 RB Leipzig
24-04-27 Bochum 3-2 Hoffenheim
24-04-20 Hoffenheim 4-3 Borussia Monchengladbach
24-04-13 Mainz 4-1 Hoffenheim
Bayern Munich’s Last 5 Games: WLLDW
24-05-12 Bayern Munich 2-0 Wolfsburg
24-05-09 Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich
24-05-04 VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Bayern Munich
24-05-01 Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid
24-04-27 Bayern Munich 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Head To Head Record:
24-01-13 Bayern Munich 3-0 Hoffenheim
23-04-15 Bayern Munich 1-1 Hoffenheim
22-10-22 Hoffenheim 0-2 Bayern Munich
22-03-12 Hoffenheim 1-1 Bayern Munich
21-10-23 Bayern Munich 4-0 Hoffenheim
Prediction: Hoffenheim to win or Draw