Goals are to be expected when two in-form Bundesliga sides go head to head at the PreZero Arena on Saturday, with Hoffenheim hosting Eintracht Frankfurt.
The hosts have won three of their last four coming into matchday 14, whilst the visitors are looking to win their fourth straight league fixture after finally putting together a strong run following a disappointing start.
Match preview
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Hoffenheim have quietly gone under the radar in recent weeks to creep into fifth spot in the Bundesliga ahead of the weekend's round of action.
However, although just two points separate themselves from Freiburg in fourth, as many points are also between Hoffenheim and Saturday's opponents down in 12th place, in what is turning into an intriguing battle for the European places involving over half of the division.
After missing out on European football entirely this season due to a disappointing 11th-placed finish last campaign, boss Sebastian Hoeness will be looking for his side to continue their fine recent form in order to increase their chances of obtaining one of the spots come May.
Three wins in their last four overall, as well as four straight league victories at home, have transformed the hopes and expectations at Die Kraichgauer after a disappointing return of one win from the opening five league fixtures had initially dampened their potential success this season.
The most recent of these victories came at Greuther Furth last weekend, where Hoffenheim coped without talisman Andrej Kramaric, who had to settle for a place on the bench, to come out on the right end of a nine-goal thriller.
A hat-trick from Ihlas Bebou, as well as a brace from Georginio Rutter, saw Hoffenheim rise to their clinical best in front of goal to result in a final scoreline of 6-3.
Although conceding three goals to the division's bottom side was not ideal, Hoffenheim now return home to the PreZero Arena where they have restricted their opponents to as few as five goals so far, and will be confident of achieving another positive result in front of their own supporters against a rival for the European places.
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Meanwhile, visitors Frankfurt also find themselves on a strong run of form as well, in what was extended to a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions following their last-gasp victory over Union Berlin last weekend.
Evan N'Dicka was the unlikely hero at the death, with the central defender netting in the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn his side a hard-fought three points against stubborn opponents.
Djibril Sow had netted the earlier goal in the 2-1 triumph, which was a deserved victory on the basis of the quality of chances that Oliver Glasner's side had created and missed throughout the contest.
As mentioned above, Die Adler have risen to 12th in the table as a result of their upturn in form in recent weeks, which has come on the back of a difficult start to the campaign under Glasner after his arrival from Wolfsburg in the summer.
Following an eight-game winless run to begin his tenure, the Austrian boss has now overseen seven wins in the following 11, to lift his side to within two points of their target - European football once more - after missing out on the Champions League places by a single point last campaign.
In order to climb the table even further on Saturday, Frankfurt must overcome a fellow European challenger for the third successive week, but they will possess a great deal of confidence following recent form, as well as a record of a six-match winning streak over their opponents across the past three seasons.
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Team News
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First-choice goalkeeper, and captain, Oliver Baumann is expected to return between the posts for Hoffenheim on Saturday, after he missed the win in Furth last weekend due to illness.
However, Kramaric may have to settle for a place amongst the substitutes once more following the devastating display provided by Rutter, Bebou and Munas Dabbur in the 6-3 demolition.
Ermin Bicakcic remains a long-term absentee but Benjamin Hubner could feature from the bench for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Robert Skov and Marco John join Bicakcic on the sidelines, whilst Christoph Baumgartner, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Pavel Kaderabek and Sebastian Rudy have all been listed as doubtful.
As for Frankfurt, they could opt for Goncalo Paciencia up front ahead of Rafael Santos Borre following the former's return to fitness and the latter's struggles in front of goal.
Makoto Hasebe continued to lead the back line against Union last week despite Martin Hinteregger's return from injury, and the 37-year-old should continue to deputise following another solid display last time out.
Fellow defender Christopher Lenz remains the only potential absentee though, with a hip injury continuing to trouble the wing-back.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Akpoguma, Posch, Vogt, Raum; Samassekou, Grillitsch, Geiger; Bebou, Dabbur, Rutter
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Tuta, Hasebe, N'Dicka; Chandler, Sow, Jakic, Kostic; Lindstrom, Kamada; Paciencia
We say: Hoffenheim 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
It is difficult to separate two sides in such great form ahead of their meeting on Saturday, so as a result we are predicting a draw at the PreZero Arena.
Both teams have found themselves amongst the goals at both ends of the pitch in recent weeks, so a thrilling encounter full of goals is to be expected here.
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 51.51%. A win for Eintracht Frankfurt had a probability of 25.39% and a draw had a probability of 23.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hoffenheim win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.68%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.92%) and 2-0 (8.05%). The likeliest Eintracht Frankfurt win was 1-2 (6.45%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.72%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 3.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Hoffenheim would win this match.
