Hoffenheim – Hamburger

Hoffenheim hosts Hamburger SV in a match from the 30th round of the German Bundesliga. Let’s see what’s the situation with these two teams.

Hoffenheim are 7th in the Bundesliga standings, continuing their fight for a Top 4 finish and a qualification for the Champions League. Hoffe are currently on 3 points behind the 6th RB Leipzig, so nothing is lost for them just yet. But they need to be flawless until the end of the campaign, if they want to play in Europe once again next season.

So far Hoffenheim’s record shows 11 wins, 10 draws and 8 defeats. In their last five games Hoffenheim are unbeaten – three wins and two draws. In their last game they shared the points with Eintracht Frankfurt for a 1-1 draw away from home.

In the same time Hamburger are in a critical situation. They are 17th in the league standings with 22 points, trailing on 5 points behind the 16th Mainz 05 and the relegation playoff place. It’s still not impossible for them to overtake Mainz, but this can happen only if they are perfect until the end. And Mainz loses some points, of course.

In the last round Hamburger won against Schalke 04 at home, which ressurected their hopes for survival. Nobody really expected to see Hamburger beating Schalke, but it showed that HSV still have some fighting spirit left in them. Can they continue like this against Hoffenheim as well?

Both teams need the points here. Hoffenheim are still fighting for a place in Europa League, while Hamburger do not have any other choice, but win. But can they do it away from home? So far during the season Hamburger won just once away from home – against the absolute outsider in the league Koln. And Hoffenheim is a much stronger opponent.