Off to their second-best start to a Bundesliga campaign, Hoffenheim have a chance to end a four-match losing run versus Borussia Dortmund in league play when they face them on Friday at Signal Iduna Park.
Both sides have nine points after four matches in the German top flight, with Dortmund winning this exact fixture last season by a 3-2 score.
Match preview
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After making the wrong kind of history in their previous home fixture, becoming the first team in the Bundesliga to concede three goals from the 89th minute onward, we saw a Dortmund side with a lot more structure and organisation at Hertha Berlin last weekend, winning 1-0.
Aside from a late collapse to Werder Bremen, losing 3-2, it has been a reasonably positive start to the new campaign for Edin Terzic and his team.
They had 62% possession versus Hertha Berlin over the weekend and posted their second clean sheet of the domestic campaign, two more than they had at this stage last season.
Their defeat at home to Bremen was the first time since the 2014-15 campaign that Dortmund had dropped points in at least one of their opening two domestic fixtures played at Signal Iduna Park, though they have not gone winless in back-to-back home games in league play since dropping their final two encounters played in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2020.
Terzic was understandably pleased with how his team fared in possession last Saturday, though he has stressed the importance of putting matches out of reach when the opportunity arises, something they have struggled to do in the Bundesliga this season.
In 2021-22, they did the double against TSG for the first time ever, winning both contests 3-2 after capturing only one of their previous seven fixtures versus the Sinsheim side.
Borussia Dortmund have had a difficult time containing the attack of Die Kraichgauer on home soil, conceding 11 goals against them since the start of 2018-19, while capturing only one of their previous four home outings versus Hoffenheim.
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Andre Breitenreiter has positively begun his tenure at Hoffenheim, winning three of his opening four domestic encounters in charge, the highest tally for this club at this point of the competition since 2010-11 (10 points).
No TSG coach has taken more points from their first four top-flight matches at the club than their current boss, who guided FC Zurich to the Swiss Super League title in 2022, their first domestic championship since 2008-09.
The current three-match winning run for Die Kraichgauer is their longest string of victories since they captured four straight domestic games between February and March last season.
Hoffenheim have posted back-to-back clean sheets in league play for the first time since April 2021, conceding just a single shot on target in a 1-0 victory over Augsberg last Saturday.
If they can keep Dortmund off the scoresheet on Friday, they would equal a club record for the longest shutout streak in the Bundesliga, a feat they previously achieved in January last year.
A 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on matchday three ended a five-match winless run for Hoffenheim away from home in this competition, having been outscored 16-4 during that slump.
In their last two Bundesliga campaigns, the Sinsheim team have only lost one of their five matches played in September, dropping a 2-0 decision to Mainz 05 last season.
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Team News
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Anthony Modeste scored his first of the season for Dortmund in their victory over Hertha Berlin, with Salih Ozcan collecting an assist, while Gregor Kobel made three saves for his second clean sheet of the campaign.
Jude Bellingham leads the league with 67 duels won, as he had a goal and an assist in their previous home fixture versus Hoffenheim.
The other tallies in that outing came courtesy of Giovanni Reyna and current Manchester City striker Erling Braut Haaland, who was set up beautifully by Youssoufa Moukoko for the winner in the 90th minute.
Sebastien Haller remains out after undergoing chemotherapy to remove a testicular tumour, and Mahmoud Dahoud has a sore shoulder.
Donyell Malen could be recovered from his muscle injury, while Mateu Morey will need to pass a fitness test before he can return to the lineup.
Oliver Baumann has posted consecutive shutouts in the TSG goal, Dennis Geiger notched his first strike of the season in their victory over Augsburg with Robert Skov picking up an assist.
Christoph Baumgartner leads them with two goals domestically thus far, while Andrej Kramaric will be a player to watch out for as the Croatian, who leads Hoffenheim with two assists this season, has scored eight goals against Dortmund in his career.
He and Georginio Rutter had the only tallies for them in a 3-2 defeat at home against BVB back in January 2022.
Ihlas Bebou will be out until the middle of September with a sprained knee, Benjamin Hubner is nearly recovered from his sore ankle, Ermin Bicakcic is doubtful because of a lack of fitness and Philipp Pentke continues to deal with an elbow injury.
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Guerreiro, Schlotterbeck, Sule, Wolf; Ozcan, Bellingham; Brandt, Reus, Meunier; Modeste
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Kabak, Vogt, Akpoguma; Skov, Promel, Geiger, Rudy, Angelino; Larsen, Kramaric
We say: Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Hoffenheim
Five of the last six domestic contests between these sides at Westfalenstadion have been decided by a goal or fewer, and we anticipate a close game between two teams who have usually been able to be pretty tidy at the back.
Dortmund will have a slight edge because of their resilience after losing a home fixture, plus their overall experience and quality seems to be just a little greater than their opponents.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
