Two sides at opposite ends of the Bundesliga spectrum meet on Saturday, as fifth-placed Hoffenheim get the second half of the season underway by hosting lowly Augsburg.
Resuming after the midwinter break, the home side will hope to extend a six-match unbeaten run by beating opponents that picked up five points from their last three games before the interval to sit clear of the drop zone.
Match preview
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Putting their credentials as European contenders to the test at the end of 2021, Hoffenheim were able to take successive draws away from clashes with Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach to round off a successful first half of the campaign.
On the latter occasion, Kevin Akpoguma's stoppage-time strike salvaged a hard-earned point from a match they had dominated in terms of both possession and shots on goal; maintaining their undefeated streak.
Following a goal-laden run of four wins from their previous four fixtures, Die Kraichgauer have stormed into European contention since early November, and could climb as high as third if results go their way this weekend.
Sebastian Hoeness has also steered his side to 16 of a possible 18 points from their last six home games, so they will be confident of picking up where they left off at their Sinsheim headquarters on Saturday.
Not only that, but Hoffenheim began their campaign with a 4-0 win at Augsburg on the opening day, so - on paper, at least - their first opponents of the new year should also be ideal fodder for a team targeting a return to continental competition.
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Despite slim rays of light breaking through the darkness towards the end of their dismal Hinrunde, struggling Augsburg return to competitive action sitting 15th in the Bundesliga standings.
Just a point above the relegation playoff spot currently occupied by Stuttgart, only drawing two and winning one of their last three outings before the break has kept Die Fuggerstadters' heads above water.
After a 2-0 victory at Koln, head coach Markus Weinzierl had an 86th-minute Daniel Caligiuri equaliser to thank for securing a point against Leipzig days later, before his side concluded 2021 with a frustrating goalless draw versus rock-bottom Furth.
Given Augsburg's predicament, the mid-season arrival of American prospect Ricardo Pepi could prove a valuable investment for a team in need of a regular scorer - they currently find the net at a rate of just one goal per game.
The teenager's tally of 13 goals in 31 MLS matches this term for FC Dallas drew much speculation about whether he would become the latest player to tread the well-worn path from the US to the Bundesliga, particularly having trained with Bayern Munich early last year.
Augsburg, then, will hope he can help them build on the foundation of losing just one of their last six games - a period which kicked off with a memorable win over Bavarian rivals Bayern. However, the triumph in Cologne remains their only away win of the season ahead of this weekend's game.
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Team News
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Hoffenheim are expected to continue with their successful 3-4-2-1 setup on Saturday, though some of the personnel is likely to change from their last outing before the break.
While Munas Dabbur and Georginio Rutter started against Gladbach, Togolese striker Ihlas Bebou could be recalled to form a front duo with Andrej Kramaric, who needs one more goal to reach a century for the club. Despite only netting twice in the league this season, a total of seven assists - including three against Augsburg last time the sides met - make the Croatian striker a valuable attacking outlet.
Meanwhile, Diadie Samassekou has been selected to represent Mali at the Africa Nations Cup, and Kasim Adams, Ermin Bicakcic, Robert Skov, Sargis Adamyan and Havard Nordtveit are also unavailable through illness or injury.
In his second loan spell from Bayern Munich, Chris Richards should return to the hosts' defence, where he could come up against international teammate Ricardo Pepi - the youngest player to score a hat-trick in MLS history.
The US league's Young Player of the Year may start on the bench for Augsburg following his move across the Atlantic, while Reece Oxford must serve a suspension; opening the door for Felix Uduokhai to return in central defence.
Alongside Oxford, Alfred Finnbogason, Tomas Koubek and Tobias Strobl - who has a knee injury - will also be sidelined.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Posch, Vogt, Richards; Akpoguma, Stiller, Geiger, Raum; Baumgartner; Kramaric, Bebou
Augsburg possible starting lineup:
Gikiewicz; Gumny, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago; Caligiuri, Maier, Dorsch, Vargas; Zeqiri, Hahn
We say: Hoffenheim 2-1 Augsburg
Upwardly mobile Hoffenheim were in fine form before the break, and there seems no reason why they cannot continue where they left off last year.
A greater range of attacking options allied to home advantage makes them strong favourites to return to Bundesliga action with a win - keeping them in the wide-open hunt for a top four place.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hoffenheim win with a probability of 57.13%. A draw had a probability of 22.3% and a win for Augsburg had a probability of 20.56%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hoffenheim win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.92%) and 2-0 (9.53%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.51%), while for an Augsburg win it was 0-1 (5.58%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 6.2% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Hoffenheim would win this match.
