Hoffenheim and Lyon, both aiming to bounce back from defeats in their last Europa League outings, are set to face off at the DnB NOR Arena on Thursday night for matchday four of the league phase.
The hosts are 18th in the table with four points from three games, with one win, one draw and one loss, while the visitors are 10th with six points from three, with two wins and one loss.
Match preview
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After brilliantly finishing seventh last season, Hoffenheim secured their place in a European competition for the first time since being eliminated from the round of 32 in the 2020-21 Europa League.
Their start to the new campaign, however, has been disastrous in comparison, only winning five of their first 14 matches across all competitions, one of those being on penalties against Wurzburger Kickers.
That has left them 16th in the Bundesliga standings with just eight points from nine outings, while also residing in 18th in the Europa League table, something they will aim to improve on with a win here.
In comparison to their poor start to their league, Pellegrino Matarazzo's team had a decent start to the league phase, drawing with FC Midtjylland and defeating Dynamo Kiev, but they suffered a frustrating 2-0 loss to Porto in their last outing, especially disappointing as they had dominated the match.
Now aiming to bounce back with a win, they will host a Lyon side that have endured an inconsistent start to both their Ligue 1 and Europa League campaigns.
Pierre Sage, who was responsible for Lyon's remarkable recovery last season after being hired in November 2023, recorded an underwhelming three defeats, one draw and one win from their initial five Ligue 1 fixtures.
A 2-0 win against Olympiacos on the opening day of the Europa League was seemingly a turning point L'OL as they subsequently enjoyed a five-match winning streak before narrowly losing 1-0 to Besiktas.
Sage's side have since drawn to both Auxerre and Lille, leaving them without a victory in three games, a streak they will be hoping to end with a potentially crucial victory in their push for a top eight finish in the Europa League table.
Team News
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The hosts are dealing with several injuries heading into this match with up to six players potentially set to miss out, including Christopher Lenz, Dennis Geiger, Finn Becker, Grischa Promel, Ihlas Bebou and Ozan Kabak.
Adam Hlozek scored both goals in Hoffenheim's only victory in the Europa League so far this season, and he could partner Marius Bulter in attack ahead of Andrej Kramaric here.
As for Lyon, Ernest Nuamah and Mahamadou Diawara are both unlikely to feature due to injuries, though both are expected to return later this month.
Having scored a 91st-minute equaliser in their last game against Lille, Sage could opt to name the same starting team here, with Rayan Cherki, Alexandre Lacazette and Malick Fofana leading the attack.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Chaves, Stach, N'Soki; Gendrey, Grillitsch, Bischof, Prass; Kramaric; Bulter, Hlozek
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Maitland-Niles, Caleta-Car, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Veretout, Matic, Tolisso; Cherki, Lacazette, Fofana
We say: Hoffenheim 1-2 Lyon
While both sides have had periods of inconsistency this season, Hoffenheim have faced much more difficulty than Lyon in both the Europa League and their respective domestic league, leading us to believe the hosts are the stronger side and will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
