
Will Löw’s effect also fizzle out in the Bundesliga?
Zsolt Löw would certainly have imagined the start of his temporary term of office differently. The former assistant to Thomas Tuchel, who also worked as an assistant coach to Ralf Rangnick, lost the semi-final of the DFB Cup to VfB Stuttgart with his Leipzig team 1-3 and has thus already missed the first important goal. On the 28th matchday in the Bundesliga, there is now also great pressure on Löw’s protégés. In the home game of RB Leipzig against Hoffenheim, the tip for the home win should definitely go through in order not to fall further behind in the race for the targeted CL ticket.
Apart from that, the bulls still have a score to settle from the first leg. In Sinsheim, TSG won 4-3 in a curious way in Ilzer’s debut. It was one of only four threes that the Austrian head coach has celebrated in the German top flight to date. Consequently, the Kraichgau team must continue to fear for their place in the league. In terms of the table, a prediction for the favored host between RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim is therefore obvious.
Although the team from the center of the city have only won one of their last six league matches and even the bitter cup defeat has not provided a boost in additional motivation or self-confidence, the betting providers with Apple Pay deposit option see the Saxons as quite clearly ahead. A home win is offered at 1.55 at the top, which means a 64% probability of it happening.
RB Leipzig vs. Hoffenheim prediction AI
According to the AI, only FSV Mainz 05 are expected to score more goals at home against bottom-placed Kiel than the red bulls at home against TSG Hoffenheim. The xG value is 2.02, underlining the fact that the “BETSiE” assessment matches the bookmakers’ evaluation. However, the artificial intelligence also expects a goal for the guests from the south based on the calculated xG values, so with a little courage to take a risk between RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim, an AI prediction of a home win including goals from both teams can be made.
RB Leipzig – Statistics & current form
The third DFB Cup triumph in the club’s history was actually a goal that Leipzig had firmly set out to achieve. To release new energy and create a positive momentum, Marco Rose was released from his duties after the defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach the previous week. However, there was no short-term improvement, because the next setback occurred under his successor Zsolt Löw, who is very familiar with the RB cosmos and is to take the reins until the end of the season. After a disappointing season, the team is facing a huge shambles after the 3-1 defeat in the semi-final in Stuttgart.
Leipzig is counting on home advantage to turn things around
In the worst-case scenario, the Saxons could even face a 2025/26 season without international duties. Currently, the empire of fizzy drinks is still in sixth place, but the form curve has been pointing downwards rather than upwards for some time. They have only managed to win one of the last six league matches. Looking back at the last eleven Bundesliga games, they have only managed two wins. The disappointing 2-6-2 record is currently only enough for eleventh place in the second half of the season.
However, it is also clear that the Bulls have plenty of individual quality and probably just need a breakthrough to get back on track. In addition, they have won seven Bundesliga home games this season, including the most recent encounter before the international break against BVB. Also interesting: In six of the last seven league games at home, Lois Openda, Benjamin Sesko and Co. scored at least two of their own goals.
In general, the RBL home games are regularly peppered with goals. In six of the last eight home games in the German top flight, not only would the Over 2.5 have been accepted after 90 minutes, but also the Over 1.5 in the first 45 minutes. In connection with the fact that new coach Löw will be particularly keen to motivate his players, I therefore recommend the attractive odds on at least two goals before the break between RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim. The Interwetten app, in particular, offers strong odds when it comes to betting with a time limit.
Hoffenheim – Statistics & current form
As the 14th team in the table, with just a five-point lead over the relegation place, the management of TSG Hoffenheim can by no means report that they have achieved their goal of avoiding relegation. While those in Kraichgau thought that the team’s form would improve sustainably thanks to seven points from three games between mid-February and early March, the doubters in particular have recently seen their criticism confirmed.
This year’s Europa League participants only managed two out of a possible nine points against their direct competitors Heidenheim and St. Pauli, as well as last week against Augsburg. Their performances were not really that convincing either. Neither were the somewhat unrealistic statements made by head coach Christian Ilzer, who said during the week that he wanted his team to be in the running for the Bundesliga championship in five years’ time. First, however, the full focus is on staying in the league, which the Blues would come a good deal closer to if they successfully predict that RB Leipzig will beat Hoffenheim. At Bet365, you can get top odds of 6.00 for the away win.
Hoffenheim and Ilzer are not yet in an intimate love relationship
The fact that the Austrian head coach’s full-bodied performance even comes across as arrogant is undoubtedly also due to the fact that Christian Ilzer has not yet been able to justify the transfer fee paid for him. Four wins, six draws and seven defeats are on the books in his five-month term of office. Only Markus Babbel had landed a similarly low number of three-pointers with TSG in the Bundesliga after 17 league games.
Nevertheless, the reasonable away form gives hope for a positive result on Saturday afternoon. Three of the last five matches in opposing stadiums have been won. It is also worth mentioning that Kramaric and Co. have always scored at least once in nine of the last eleven Bundesliga matches. Nevertheless, there has only been one clean sheet under Ilzer so far, which in turn increases the likelihood of a high-scoring game at the weekend. Therefore, before the match between the retort clubs RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim, I also check the betting odds for the combination 1X & goal in both halves.
RB Leipzig – Hoffenheim head-to-head record
The Central City team have a positive record against TSG Hoffenheim. They have won nine of 17 Bundesliga duels. On the other hand, there have been four draws and four TSG successes. At home in particular, the Saxons have hardly shown any weakness (5-2-1). Including the DFB Cup, there have even been seven RBL home wins in ten competitive games. The first leg, however, ended 4-3 in favor of the Kraichgau team, who were 2-1 down at half-time and only managed to turn the game around in the last ten minutes after trailing 3-2. A similar spectacle on Saturday afternoon in the Red Bull Arena cannot be ruled out.
RB Leipzig – Hoffenheim betting tip
With a serious expression, Jürgen Klopp, Mario Gomez and Oliver Mintzlaff sat in the stands of the Stuttgart Stadium on Wednesday evening. Despite an improved performance compared to the last few weeks, which in particular brought a multitude of chances, the RB management had to congratulate the VfB management on making it to the DFB Cup final. Nevertheless, the new coach Zsolt Löw took positive insights with him and hopes for the desired result on Saturday in his BL debut. There is pressure in any case, because in sixth place in the table, the Saxons are fighting for a place in the CL, which is currently extremely uncertain.
Because with the guests from the Kraichgau, an opponent is waiting who also still needs points and has a certain quality in offense, I rather expect a game with a lot of goals. The home side will be looking to make a statement from the off and use a brave approach to improve on their surprisingly poor Bundesliga record of late. My Hoffenheim v RB Leipzig prediction is therefore for at least two goals in the first 45 minutes.