RB Leipzig will be aiming to extend their 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions when they visit Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The hosts, meanwhile, have won only one of their last six matches to fall to seventh in the table.
Match preview
© Reuters
Indeed, Hoffenheim's points total of six across their last six matches represents only half of the amount that they collected in their first six matches of the season, but Andre Breitenreiter's side are still sitting in a respectable position in the table ahead of hosting Leipzig this weekend.
Often regarded as Germany's predominant "new money" teams, Hoffenheim and Leipzig have both enjoyed meteoric rises within the past decade or so, although the former have failed to qualify for the Champions League since finishing third in the 2017-18 season.
That will be their primary objective once again this season, but they will need to deliver better performances than they have of late if they are to achieve it.
While a 1-1 draw away to FC Koln can rarely be regarded as a poor result for any side, Breitenreiter would have been disappointed that his players could not capitalise on their opponents being forced to play two matches in three days after they only returned from Europa Conference League action in the Czech Republic less than 48 hours prior to kickoff at RheinEnergieStadion.
With Leipzig involved in the Champions League earlier this week, too, the 49-year-old will hope that home support and freshness can make all the difference as his team look to return to winning ways on Saturday.
© Reuters
However, Leipzig will take some beating on current form, with Marco Rose's side unbeaten in all 10 of their matches since returning to action after September's international break.
Die Roten Bulen sealed their place in the Champions League knockout stages in some style with a 4-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw on Wednesday, with Christopher Nkunku, Andre Silva and Dominik Szoboszlai all bagging before Valeriy Bondar's late own goal.
That victory was their sixth in seven matches having beaten Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at the Red Bull Arena last weekend, with the only exception in that run almost certainly feeling like a win for them in any case having sensationally fought back from three goals behind to claim a 3-3 draw away to Augsburg last month.
After suffering a difficult start to the season, which led to the sacking of Domenico Tedesco, Rose is clearly improving the spirit within his ranks while implementing a more effective tactical blueprint, and as such he will be confident of claiming a positive result in Hoffenheim this weekend as they look to chase down the top four.
Team News
© Reuters
Hoffenheim will be without Ozan Kabak, whose red card for a second bookable offence against Koln last weekend has led to a one-match suspension, with Kevin Akpoguma likely to replace the Turkey defender in Breitenreiter's back three.
Andrej Kramaric featured from the bench in Cologne and is likely to return to the starting XI, with Georginio Rutter potentially coming into the side alongside him, too, with Munas Dabbur unavailable due to a shoulder issue.
Luca Philipp, Benjamin Hubner, Ihlas Bebou and Fisnik Asllani are all expected to remain sidelined for the next three matches prior to the World Cup.
Leipzig, meanwhile, will travel without Konrad Laimer, Lukas Klostermann, Peter Gulasci and Yussuf Poulsen due to pre-existing injuries, while Benjamin Henrichs is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Leverkusen last time out.
Timo Werner was withdrawn due to an ankle issue against Shakhtar in midweek and has been ruled out of the World Cup, meaning that Dani Olmo may be handed his first start since returning from a serious injury himself.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Akpoguma, Vogt, Nsoki; Skov, Promel, Geiger, Angelino; Baumgartner; Rutter, Kramaric
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Simakan, Orban, Diallo, Raum; Haidara, Schlager; Szoboszlai, Nkunku, Olmo; Silva
We say: Hoffenheim 2-2 RB Leipzig
With Leipzig missing some key players through injury and potentially suffering from tiredness after their excellent exploits in Europe in midweek, we can envisage Hoffenheim gaining a positive result on Saturday.
However, the visitors should have enough to maintain their impressive unbeaten run, even if a draw may see them lose more ground on the top four teams in the table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
