Hoffenheim vs Werder Bremen - prediction, team news, lineups

In the Bundesliga's penultimate matchweek, Champions League-chasing Hoffenheim volition big relegation-threatened Werder Bremen astatine PreZero Arena connected Saturday for a clash that volition beryllium important for some ends of the table.

Die Kraichgauer are hopeless for a triumph to bolster their apical 4 hopes, portion Die Werderaner could unafraid their endurance this weekend.

Match preview

Christian Ilzer's Hoffenheim person offered up 1 of the German apical flight's galore surprises this season, bouncing backmost from finishing 15th successful 2024-25 to conflict for Champions League shot erstwhile again.

Die Kraichgauer were connected people to suffice for UEFA's premier nine contention for the bulk of the campaign, but a tally of 1 triumph successful 7 games that started with a 2-2 gully against FC Koln connected February 21 enactment their chances successful doubt.

However, Ilzer's broadside person recovered their feet successful caller weeks, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 connected April 18 earlier downing Hamburger SV by the aforesaid scoreline a week later, and the manager could yet beryllium welcoming Europe's giants to the PreZero Arena adjacent term.

That being said, a 3-3 gully against top-four rivals Stuttgart past play has opened the doorway for Bayer Leverkusen to marque a astonishment resurgence into what had seemed to beryllium a two-team battle.

Heading into Saturday's important clash, Hoffenheim presently beryllium sixth successful the Bundesliga table, level connected 58 points with some Die Roten and Die Werkself, though it is Leverkusen who pb the trio acknowledgment to their seven-superior goal-difference over Die Kraichgauer.

With conscionable 2 games to play, Ilzer's men volition apt request to cod six points from a imaginable six if they are to person immoderate accidental of finishing fourth, but fans of the hosts volition beryllium acrophobic that their squad person lone triumphed successful 1 of their past 5 location outings - their triumph implicit BVB 3 weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Werder manager Daniel Thioune has his squad connected the cusp of securing their Bundesliga status, a commendable feat for the 51-year-old boss, who is embarking connected his archetypal stint successful complaint of a top-flight club.

Since taking the reins from Horst Steffen backmost successful February, Thioune has collected 13 points crossed 12 matches, winning 4 times, drafting erstwhile and losing connected 7 occasions.

While specified a instrumentality appears humble retired of context, Die Werderaner person earned fractional of their wins this play since the erstwhile Fortuna Dusseldorf main was appointed, portion climbing up to 15th successful the table.

Bremen's existent full of 32 points has them level with Koln, six wide of 16th-placed Wolfsburg and 17th-placed St Pauli, meaning that a gully this play would beryllium capable to warrant information for different season.

However, the Green-Whites person tasted decision successful 3 of their past 5 outings, including a 3-1 beating by Augsburg astir recently, but thankfully for Thioune, Werder volition beryllium harmless if Wolfsburg and St Pauli driblet points successful either of their last 2 league fixtures.

Additionally, the travelling supporters volition instrumentality bosom from the information that the visitors person lone mislaid 1 of their past 4 connected the road, downing Union Berlin 4-1 connected March 8 arsenic good arsenic Die Wolfe 1-0 2 weeks later, anterior to their awesome 1-1 gully against Stuttgart connected April 26.

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:

Werder Bremen Bundesliga form:

Team News

Hoffenheim volition beryllium without right-back Valentin Gendrey owed to an ankle issue, arsenic good arsenic centre-back Koki Machida, who is closing successful connected a instrumentality from a semipermanent genu wounded but is improbable to diagnostic this weekend.

In their absence, Ilzer could opt for Ozan Kabak and Albian Hajdari astatine the bosom of his defence, flanked by Vladimir Coufal and Bernardo astatine full-back.

As for Werder, they are missing defenders of their own, with centre-half Julian Malatini sidelined for the remainder of the run aft suffering an ankle injury, left-back Felix Agu recovering from a musculus issue, and ight wing-back Mitchell Weiser nearing a comeback from his anterior cruciate ligament injury.

With that successful mind, expect to spot a trio of Amos Pieper, Marco Friedl and 18-year-old Karim Coulibaly commencement successful beforehand of goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, while Yukinari Sugawara and Olivier Deman supply width from wing-back.

Elsewhere, striker Keke Topp is successful the aboriginal stages of his rehabilitation aft being struck down by a cruciate ligament wounded successful precocious March, though Jovan Milosevic should beryllium connected manus to pb the line, supported by Jens Stage and Romano Schmid.

Hoffenheim imaginable starting lineup:

Baumann; Coufal, Kabak, Hajdari, Bernardo; Kramaric, Avdullahu, Burger; Lemperle, Asllani, Toure

Werder Bremen imaginable starting lineup:

Backhaus; Pieper, Friedl, Coulibaly; Sugawara, Puertas, Lynen, Deman; Stage, Schmid; Milosevic

We say: Hoffenheim 2-1 Werder Bremen

Hoffenheim volition beryllium motivated to instrumentality each 3 points and assured of triumph against 1 of this season's relegation contenders, but they volition request to enactment focused to debar an upset.

Werder person the accidental to unafraid their endurance and volition beryllium warring to marque definite of their top-flight status, though it remains to beryllium seen whether they tin repetition the benignant of show that saw them instrumentality a constituent against Stuttgart past month.

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