MX23RW : Sunday, November 17 15:36:08| >> :120:46328:46328:
[monks data]
Hoffenheim logo
Bundesliga | Gameweek 3
Sep 2, 2023 at 2.30pm UK
Campo La Quinta
Wolfsburg

Hoffenheim
3 - 1
Wolfsburg

Brooks (45+2'), Beier (60'), Skov (74')
Weghorst (10'), Bebou (25')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Tomas (36')
Maehle (43'), Svanberg (75')

Preview: Hoffenheim vs. Wolfsburg - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Hoffenheim will be hoping to record back-to-back wins when they host Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the visitors have won both of their opening fixtures in the early weeks of the campaign, so they could head into the international break with a 100% record.


Match preview

Hoffenheim coach Pellegrino Matarazzo before the match on April 15, 2023© Reuters

The same does not apply to Hoffenheim, but they bounced back from their defeat to Freiburg on the opening weekend to record a 3-2 victory away to Heidenheim in their last match.

Pellegrino Matarazzo's were staring down the barrel at two defeats from two games when their newly-promoted opponents - who were playing at home in the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history - moved into a two-goal lead two minutes before the hour mark through Jan-Niklas Beste and Marvin Pieringer's strikes either side of half time.

However, Maximilian Beier and Pavel Kaderabek both struck within three minutes of each other to pull the visitors level 10 minutes before the end of normal time, before Andrej Kramaric opened his league account for the season - and more importantly provided his side with all three points - by converting a penalty in the last minute.

Matarazzo will hope to see the victory settle his players' nerves down across the coming weeks, as having performed so well during the closing stages of the previous campaign to move away from relegation danger, they will not want to be involved in another battle this time around.

VfL Wolfsburg head coach Nico Kovac during the match on August 13, 2023© Reuters

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, have bounced back from their final day disappointment - when a home defeat to already-relegated Hertha Berlin saw them fall outside of the European qualification positions altogether - by recording maximum points from their two games so far.

The Wolves also dispatched Heidenheim as expected before claiming an impressive 2-1 win away to FC Koln on Saturday, despite falling behind to Luca Waldschmidt's opener after 55 minutes.

However, just as was the case on the opening matchday, Jonas Wind bagged a brace to lay down a marker once again in the absence of the injured Lukas Nmecha. Wind's opportunities have been limited at times due to the presence of his fellow forward, but four goals from two starts should ensure that he receives an extended run in the team going forward.

The 24-year-old will almost certainly have some chances to extend his goalscoring streak against Hoffenheim, who can be defensively open at times, and his manager Niko Kovac will desperately be hoping to see his side maintain their perfect record ahead of the break.

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:


Hoffenheim form (all competitions):


Wolfsburg Bundesliga form:


Wolfsburg form (all competitions):



Team News

Hoffenheim coach Pellegrino Matarazzo before the match on April 15, 2023© Reuters

Hoffenheim will remain without Dennis Geiger due to a muscle strain, while Umut Tohumcu's ankle ligament injury will also keep him on the sidelines.

Despite scoring from the bench against Heidenheim, Beier is unlikely to displace Wout Weghorst in attack, with the forward - who has joined on loan from Burnley for the season - desperately hoping to open his league account for Hoffenheim against his former club.

Wolfsburg, meanwhile, will travel without Lukas Ambros, Kilian Fischer, Felix Lange and Nmecha, but club captain Maximilian Arnold made his comeback from the bench against Koln.

However, Kovac is unlikely to change a winning team, meaning that Jakub Kaminski and Ridle Baku may also have to be content with making an impact from the bench at some point during the encounter.


Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Kabak, Brooks, Akpoguma; Kaderabek, Promel, Grillitsch, Bulter; Bebou, Weghorst, Kramaric

Wolfsburg possible starting lineup:
Casteels; Maehle, Lacroix, Zesiger, Cozza; Svanberg, Gerhardt, Majer; Cerny, Wind, Wimmer


SM words green background

We say: Hoffenheim 2-2 Wolfsburg

Despite their mixed start to the campaign, Hoffenheim clearly possess plenty of firepower within their attacking unit, and they will be confident of performing much better than last season.

Likewise, Wolfsburg will be targeting a European spot after their near-miss in May, with Wind likely to fancy his chances of scoring for the third successive game. We can envisage a high-scoring draw at the PreZero Arena this weekend.



For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data


ID:522696:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect13316:

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Hoffenheim vs Wolfsburg

Hoffenheim
25.0%
Draw
32.7%
Wolfsburg
42.3%
52
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Borussia Dortmund forward Paul Besong (center) celebrates his goal on July 28, 2023
Read Next:
Saturday's Bundesliga predictions including Bochum vs. Dortmund
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Packers
@
Bears
6pm
Raiders
@
Dolphins
6pm
Colts
@
Jets
6pm
Jags
@
Lions
6pm
Rams
@
Patriots
6pm
Browns
@
Saints
6pm
Ravens
@
Steelers
6pm
Vikings
@
Titans
9.05pm
Seahawks
@
49ers
9.05pm
Falcons
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Chiefs
@
Bills
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Bayern MunichBayern108203372626
2RB Leipzig106311551021
3Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt1062226161020
4Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen104512116517
5Freiburg105231311217
6Union BerlinUnion Berlin1044298116
7Borussia DortmundDortmund105141818016
8Werder Bremen104331721-415
9Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach104241514114
10Mainz 05Mainz103431514113
11Stuttgart103431919013
12Wolfsburg103341918112
13Augsburg103341320-712
14Heidenheim103161315-210
15Hoffenheim102351319-69
16St Pauli10226712-58
17Holstein Kiel101271225-135
18VfL BochumVfL Bochum100281030-202


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!