VfB Stuttgart – TSG Hoffenheim
The 34th matchday of the Bundesliga is more exciting than ever this year. There is still a lot of significance in every single encounter. This is also the case with the clash between VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim. The hosts are 15th in the table before the last matchday and are only just above Bochum in the relegation places. Only the goal difference, which is 23 goals better, separates the two teams. With a win, the Swabians would most likely avoid going down to the 2nd Bundesliga.
Their opponents from the Kraichgau, on the other hand, virtually clinched their place in the Bundesliga the previous week. Thanks to the 4:2 win against Union, TSG now have a three-point lead over the relegation place, with the goal difference clearly in Hoffenheim’s favour. For the Kraichgauer, this was already the second home win in a row.
In any case, the two coaches know their respective opponents very well on Saturday. Sebastian Hoeneß first stepped onto the Bundesliga coaching stage at Hoffenheim, finishing 11th in the 2020/21 season. The following year he achieved 9th place with the team. Pellegrino Matarazzo, on the other hand, spent over 1,000 days as coach at VfB and led the Swabians to the Bundesliga in 2020. Find out which coach will be happy about the three points on Saturday in our Stuttgart vs Hoffenheim tip.
Stuttgart – Hoffenheim info:
- Date & Time: 27.05.2023, 15:30 Uhr
- Game venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 34
- TV broadcast: Sky
Stuttgart Form & Balance Check
As was the case last year, VfB Stuttgart can clinch a place in the league on the last matchday at home in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. This season, however, the Swabians even have it in their own hands. A win against Hoffenheim would mean another year in the German top flight. VfB achieved this in the previous week with a 4:1 victory in Mainz.
Coach Sebastian Hoeneß definitely breathed new life into the team. Not only did he lead Stuttgart to the semi-finals of the DFB Cup, but he also lost only one of his seven Bundesliga games as VfB coach. In the form table of the last seven games, i.e. since the new coach took over, VfB are in a strong fifth place.
Endo in the spotlight
The decisive goal to keep VfB Stuttgart in the preseason was not scored until injury time on the last matchday against 1. FC Köln. The much acclaimed goal scorer was Wataru Endo. And this season, too, the Japanese player is getting going particularly well at the end of the season.
The 30-year-old scored the important 1-1 equaliser against Mainz the previous week with a spectacular long-range shot. In total, Endo contributed two assists and one goal in the last two games. For the season as a whole, the 50-time Japanese international has five goals and four assists for the Swabians.
Stuttgart facts & analysis
- Sebastian Hoeneß still without a home defeat in the Bundesliga.
- The fifth weakest offence in the league
- Equal on points with Bochum in the relegation place
Hoffenheim form & balance check
At the start of the season, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim were still fighting to qualify for the Europa League. But then the Kraichgauer fell into a deep hole, picking up just two points from 14 games. During this period, Hoffenheim plummeted from fourth to last place in the table.
Under coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, however, TSG stabilised again recently. Hoffenheim have lost only one of their last nine games and almost certainly secured their place in the league last week with a 1-0 win over Union Berlin.
Kramaric in top form
Striker Andrej Kramaric has not been in top form for a long time this season. In past Bundesliga seasons, the Croatian already managed to score in double figures five times. But in the current Bundesliga season, the attacking player scored only five goals after 24 games. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old was TSG Hoffenheim’s most successful goal scorer.
Since Hoffenheim’s number 27 has been deployed in central midfield, however, his form has risen significantly again. The brace in the previous week brings Kramaric’s tally to twelve goals for the season. This means that the offensive engine is once again his team’s top scorer.
Hoffenheim facts & analysis
- Only one away win in the second half of the season
- Ten away defeats already
- All but assured of staying in the league
Predicted line-up – last update on 25 May 2023
Coach Sebastian Hoeneß doesn’t have much reason to rotate through his team. We therefore expect basically the same starting line-up as in the 4:1 win in Mainz. However, we think Konstantinos Mavropanos will play from the start again.
For Hoffenheim, too, we expect basically the same line-up as in the previous week against Union Berlin. Only Munas Dabbur could move into the starting eleven after his late goal. Stanley Nsoki returns from his red suspension, but will probably sit on the bench for the time being.
Stuttgart – Hoffenheim direct comparison & statistics
The two teams have met in a total of 26 games so far, with Stuttgart emerging victorious in eleven encounters. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, have won seven games and drawn eight. Interestingly, neither team has managed to win in their last twelve matches as an away team. Not even in the first leg, when the two sides drew 2-2.
- Both stadiums are only 55 kilometres apart.
- Stuttgart have won four of their last five home games against Hoffenheim
- Did you know that Stuttgart score 30% of their goals between the 76-90 minute?
- Hoffenheim have failed to score in 4 of their 16 away games in the Bundesliga this season
