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Hoffenheim vs. Tottenham Hotspur: UEL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction
On Thursday, Hoffenheim will play Tottenham Hotspur in a Europa League match in Sinsheim. Both teams are unexpectedly facing possible domestic relegation challenges.
Last weekend, Spurs suffered another crushing loss on the road to Everton, extending their Premier League winless streak to nine games. Their European record also plummeted towards the year's conclusion in 2024.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is under increasing pressure after seeing his team fall to fifteenth place in the Premier League after Sunday's loss at Goodison Park.
If Spurs' current form continues, they risk becoming entangled in a relegation struggle since their lone victory in 10 league games came against Southampton, who are now in last place.
Their recent three victories—against Manchester United and Liverpool in the EFL Cup and Tamworth in the FA Cup—may give the visitors some confidence heading into this European match.
Unfortunately, Spurs' European form suffered a nosedive towards the end of 2024, as they went winless in their last three matches in the league—their longest winless run in Europe for over seven years.
Because of this, they have fallen from first place to ninth, and they will likely need four points from their next two games to guarantee a position in the top eight.
On matchday eight, Spurs will have to play Elfsborg at home. Elfsborg has not won a single game on the road, so they are huge favourites. However, knowing that a draw would be good enough should alleviate some of the burden.
However, in light of their current run, Postecoglou's squad is in dire need of a victory. Fortunately, they have a jam-packed schedule, with back-to-back European matches and the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
While the Spurs did manage a victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022, it ended a five-game losing streak; Germany has never been a friendly hunting ground for the Spurs.
Manchester City swept Hoffenheim in the 2017–18 group stage, and Hoffenheim lost all four of its matches against English teams. In 2017, Hoffenheim lost both legs of a Champions League qualification match against Liverpool.
Given their current situation, which has them scraping towards the bottom of the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim's days of contending for the top four seem like distant memories.
Even though Hoffenheim's winning streak stalled during the Christmas break, they snapped it last weekend with a 3-1 victory against Holstein Kiel. A crucial six-pointer lifted them out of the relegation zone.
Even though Christian Ilzer's squad has only managed to score 17 points out of 54 so far this season, they jumped up to fifteenth place with that victory and will be hoping to carry that form into Europe, where they'll need another win to advance.
Hoffenheim has won 83% of its home league matches and is undefeated at the PreZero Arena. However, this is its last opportunity to capitalise on home-field advantage before it travels to Anderlecht on matchday eight.
Hoffenheim will start the matchday in 26th place; four points will likely be enough to progress, and two victories would ensure that. However, with just one point earned on the road, anything less than a victory here might spell disaster for their hopes.
Because of a shift in the club's approach in recent years, they have struggled to find their offensive stride on the road this season despite consistently ranking among Europe's top-scoring teams.
After scoring in each of their first eighteen Europa League games from 2017–2020, Ilzer's squad has gone scoreless in five of their last ten matches, including both of their most recent matches.
Hoffenheim x Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Neither Gift Orban nor Erencan Yardimci are on Hoffenheim's Europa League roster, so Ilzer can be relieved that Adam Hlozek and Andrej Kramaric played well over the weekend.
Kramaric scored his seventh goal of the season in the Bundesliga, while Hlozek scored a brace to bring his total to three. The seasoned Croatian wants to open his account on the continent this season.
Anton Stach is fit to play again after suffering a thigh injury over the weekend, but Ilzer will be without several key players, such as Ozan Kabak (formerly of Liverpool), Florian Grillitsch, Grischa Promel, Ihlas Bebou, and Marius Bulter.
Spurs may start Brandon Austin for the second time this season due to their goalkeeping woes: Antonin Kinsky isn't registered to play, Guglielmo Vicario is sidelined with a fractured ankle, and Fraser Forster didn't appear in a 2025 matchday squad.
To give Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, and Yves Bissouma the most incredible recovery opportunity for the next hectic few weeks, they may all be benched for the loss against Everton over the weekend.
Due to injuries to Micky van den Ven and Cristian Romero, Ben Davies's return was much appreciated. Archie Grey, who has played the full 90 minutes in every Europa League game so far, mainly as a centre defender, may now have the opportunity to transition into a more natural position in the middle of the field.
Our Predictions
Tottenham to win and over 2.5 goals @ 2.65 on Sky247.ng
Even if the Spurs are having a terrible time, Hoffenheim had a bygone weekend thanks to a great opponent—one of the few Bundesliga teams in worse form than them.
With Postecoglou under increasing strain, the team is playing catch-up in four different leagues; a victory would relieve some of that pressure while ensuring they stay out of the playoffs and additional fixture congestion—two factors that might make for an exciting matchup.
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