Hoffenheim is hosting FC Augsburg at PreZero Arena in round 18 of the German Bundesliga. Hoffenheim was on fire before the winter break, and hopefully, they can stay in the rhythm after the break. Augsburg has had some good results as of late, and a few games like that, Augsburg will be safe from the relegation.
Hoffenheim has caught an extremely good form before the break, and I’m sure they are one of the teams who didn’t want the season to stop. Hoffenheim is undefeated in their last 6 games, but they have ended with 2 draws in a row before Christmas. Thanks to this amazing run, Hoffenheim has gotten to 5th place with 28 points, and they are the same amount as Leverkusen above them. Even though Hoffenheim’s defense is not great, their offense is working just fine, and that was the main reason for their rise. Bebou has scored 5 goals for Hoffenheim so far this season, while Rutter added 4 goals. Kramaric has added 7 assists. There are some injuries in Hoffenheim, and a couple of players are gone to the African Cup of Nations, but Hoffenheim is still pretty solid. This is turning out to be a nice season for Hoffenheim, I just hope their run will continue after this winter break.
Augsburg was also playing really well before the break, and with that streak, they have probably saved themselves from the relegation even though half of the season is still left. Augsburg is now in 15th place with 18 points, which is just 1 point above the relegation zone, but that means the pressure is not as big as it was on Augsburg. Offensively, Augsburg is not doing much, they are barely averaging 1 scored goal per game, but their defense is much worse with 26 conceded goals so far. A slight problem for Augsburg might be their schedule over the next few weeks, but I think they can get a few points out of it. Strobl, Finnbogason, and Koubek are all still injured for Augsburg. Neiderlecher is the leading goalscorer for Augsburg with only 3 goals, and not having more offensive power is a big problem for Augsburg. It will be a hard second half of the season, but Augsburg has proved they have what it takes to stay in the league.
Hoffenheim is the better team here, by quite a lot, but we can’t know for sure what is the situation in the club after this break. Augsburg might have been playing well, but I don’t think they can win this game. I think Augsburg can score, but they definitely can’t win.