Hoffenheim take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Sunday, with the visitors looking to gain a positive result and stay in the Champions League qualification positions in the table.
Hoffenheim, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back after last weekend's 4-1 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Match preview
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After defeating Hertha Berlin and FC Koln 3-0 in their previous two matches, the trip to Munich to face the league leaders always felt like a free hit for Sebastian Hoeness's side.
However, after an improvement in results and the return of several players from injury in recent weeks, the 38-year-old may have quietly harboured hopes of a repeat of the thrilling 4-1 victory over the Bavarians in September.
It was the reverse result which ultimately proved to occur, though, with Jerome Boateng and Thomas Muller both scoring emphatic headers in the first half after Manuel Neuer had brilliantly denied Ihlas Bebou from close range in the early stages.
Andrej Kramaric provided a glimmer of hope with a superb volley moments before the half-time interval, but Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both scored either side of the hour mark to seal the three points. Hoffenheim must defend better to contain Frankfurt, who are perhaps only bettered by Bayern in the Bundesliga in terms of attacking prowess at the moment.
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Indeed, Frankfurt extended their unbeaten league run to eight games with an impressive 3-1 win over Hertha Berlin last weekend.
While Hertha are in dire form at the moment, it was always going to be a tough game given that they replaced Bruno Labbadia with Pal Dardai as manager ahead of the game. Indeed, the visitors appeared to respond to their new coach, with Krzysztof Piatek firing them ahead after a quiet first half.
However, Frankfurt's attacking capabilities were on full display, with Andre Silva instantly replying with a leaping header from Filip Kostic's trademark cross. Martin Hinteregger powered Adi Hutter's side ahead with five minutes remaining before Silva notched his 16th league goal of the season from the penalty spot after the Portugal striker was tripped by Matheus Cunha.
With Luka Jovic not even able to get into the starting XI at present, Hutter will feel confident that his side can blow a leaky Hoffenheim defence away on Sunday, while being mindful of the attacking capabilities their forthcoming opponents undoubtedly possess.
Hoffenheim Bundesliga form: LLDWWL
Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga form: WWWDWW
Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions): WLWDWW
Team News
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Hoffenheim will be without Ryan Sessegnon, Kevin Akpoguma, Dennis Geiger, Ermin Bicakcic, Benjamin Hubner and Kostas Stafylidis due to injury.
Florian Grillitsch could be in line for a start having returned from injury from the substitutes' bench against Bayern.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, will travel without Erik Durm and Aymen Barkok due to injury.
Hutter may be tempted to start with Jovic alongside Silva, but is unlikely to disrupt a settled winning formula.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Kasim, Vogt, Posch; Rudy, Grillitsch, Samassekou, Baumgartner, John; Bebou, Kramaric
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Tuta, Hinteregger, N'Dicka; Zuber, Sow, Hasebe, Kostic; Younes, Kamada; Silva
We say: Hoffenheim 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
It should be a highly entertaining encounter at Hoffenheim on Sunday, with both sides capable of scoring and conceding in the blink of an eye.
Frankfurt have found the consistency which Hoffenheim have been lacking this season, though, so we can see the hosts marching on in their quest to compete in the Champions League for the first time in the club's history.
