Two local rivals face off in the Europa League on Thursday evening, as Tottenham Hotspur travel to Hoffenheim in the seventh round of the league stage.
Both teams have been hit hard by injuries this season, and currently sit in 15th place in their league table. After parting ways with Pellegrino Matarazzo last November, Hoffenheim's form has deteriorated and they are well placed in the relegation fight.
They achieved their fourth victory in German League The season is on the weekends, however. They beat one of the few teams who performed worse than them this season, Holstein Kiel, 3-1. Perhaps that will fire up the home team on Thursday, which they have to do to secure a play-off place in this competition.
Tottenham are four points and 18 places ahead of Hoffenheim in the league table, with Ange Postecoglou's side likely to head into the final round with eighth place in their hands if they pull off a rare win on Thursday.
Tottenham have won just three of their previous 15 matches in all competitions and more Premier League Defeat at the weekend means they are just eight points clear of the relegation zone.
here 90 minutes Thursday's guide European League clash.
Hoffenheim and Tottenham match goals
This is the first competitive match between Hoffenheim and Tottenham.
Current form (all competitions)
|
Hoffenheim |
Tottenham |
|---|---|
|
Holstein Kiel 1-3 Hoffenheim – 01/18/25 |
Everton 3-2 Tottenham – 01/19/25 |
|
Bayern Munich 5-0 Hoffenheim – 01/15/25 |
Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham – 01/15/25 |
|
Hoffenheim 0-1 Wolfsburg – 11/01/25 |
Tamworth 0-3 (ET) Tottenham – 01/12/25 |
|
Hoffenheim 1-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach – 12/21/24 |
Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool – 01/08/25 |
|
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Hoffenheim – 12/15/24 |
Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle – 04/01/25 |
|
nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
|
UK |
Discovery+, Discovery+ App, TNT Sports 2 |
|
US |
Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com, TUDN App, TUDN USA |
|
Canada |
DAZN CANADA |
Like their visitors, Hoffenheim has been hit hard by injuries this season.
Among those absent is experienced midfielder Florian Grillitsch, while the home team will also miss Grisha Brummel, Ihlas Pippo and Marius Poulter. former Liverpool Defender Ozan Kabak is suffering from a long-term knee injury, but is expected to return next month.
Tom Bischoff is the player to keep an eye on in midfield after his recent endorsement joins Bayern Munich on Bosmann in the summer. Andrej Kramaric and Adam Hlozek are Hoffenheim's main threats in attack.
Hoffenheim's expected formation against Tottenham (4-2-3-1):Bowman; Gendry, Chavez, Akpoguma, Bras; Bischoff, Stach. Kaderbek, Kramaric, Hlozek; Morstedt.
Cristian Romero took part in training ahead of Thursday's match, but the Argentine will not feature in Hoffenheim after spending weeks out of action with a thigh injury. Micky van de Ven is scheduled to return to the training pitch next week.
Radu Dragusin should be fit to participate and Rodrigo Bentancur has traveled with the squad. The Uruguayan will start at the base of midfield, with Yves Bissouma the latest to suffer a hamstring injury. Pape Sarr also looks set to miss out.
Antonin Kinski, who arrived in January, cannot be registered until after the league stage, while Jed Spence was also not included in Postecoglou's initial squad for the competition.
Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udoji, Guglielmo Vicario, Wilson Odubert, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner are all absent.
Expected Tottenham lineup against Hoffenheim (4-3-3):Austin; Boro, Dragosin, Gray, Davies; Bentancur, Bergvall, Madison; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Moore.
Although they were beaten again by Everton on Sunday, this one was beaten Tottenham The team has not abandoned the manager yet. They are keen to put things right and face a team that has suffered from similar problems this season.
Hoffenheim are also struggling with injuries, but they may have a pep in their step after Saturday's victory. They have attacking profiles capable of hurting Spurs, and Elzer's side should aim to take advantage of a Spurs side that simply doesn't win away from home.
There should be goals on Thursday evening, and the spoils can be shared when all is said and done.
