Hoffenheim could slide into the bottom half of the Bundesliga table if this weekend's gameweek 32 clash with RB Leipzig at PreZero Arena goes awry.
The ninth-placed side were beaten last weekend by Bochum, and they host a Leipzig side that all but guaranteed a top-four finish by defeating Borussia Dortmund in gameweek 30.
Match preview
Hoffenheim's mixed season took another negative turn when Bochum defeated the club in ninth in the previous round, as Pellegrino Matarazzo's men fell to a 14th loss in 2023-24, the most suffered in the top half in the Bundesliga.
That unexpected reverse to a relegation-threatened side was the second in three games and a fifth in seven league fixtures, continuing the club's slide.
Die Kraichgauer's failure to win games consistently could be linked to their inability to keep clean sheets, with last weekend's 3-2 loss continuing a drought without a successful rearguard action lasting seven months since September's 2-0 success at Union Berlin.
Oliver Baumann hopes to end that run without a shutout this weekend, even if it is now assured that the 33-year-old will not match last season's five clean sheets.
Despite the team's recent losses and continued run without preventing opponents from scoring, Matarazzo's side have secured consecutive wins on their turf, and the home support will hope for a third straight win at PreZero Arena.
They face an uphill task against a Leipzig team in outstanding form, a sequence that saw Marco Rose's men score Borussia Dortmund four times to secure a 4-1 victory to make it four triumphs on the trot.
Beating BVB effectively saw the Red Bulls nick fourth place in the Bundesliga, even if fifth could suffice to make next season's Champions League as Germany are in the driver's seat to claim an extra spot.
Rose's men have accrued 22 from 24 points in the league since losing 2-1 to Bayern Munich at the end of February, helping Die Roten Bullen to open a five-point advantage over Dortmund and even close in on third-place Stuttgart.
Leipzig's recent run and Stuttgart's one-point-in-six wobble have given the Red Bulls a chance of rising into third in the campaign's final weeks, thus matching last season's top-flight placement.
With Bayern travelling to Sebastian Hoeness's side, who are two points ahead of Rose's men, Leipzig hope the Champions League semi-finalists do them a favour as they aim to win a fifth league game on the bounce, which could take them into third.
Team News
Umut Tohumcu received his fifth booking of the season in last week's defeat by Bochum, ruling out the Hoffenheim teenager this weekend.
Dennis Geiger (adductor) is touch-and-go for the visit of Leipzig, but Bambase Conte (illness), Mergim Berisha (knee), Stanley Nsoki (hip) and Marco John (knee) should not feature for the hosts on Friday.
Rose does not have as many injury absentees, with Mohamed Simakan (calf) facing a race against time to feature this weekend, while Christopher Lenz (calf) is also doubtful.
Lois Openda (24 goals) and Benjamin Sesko (11) were unsurprisingly among the goals in the thrashing of Dortmund in round 31. Both should lead the attack again, keen to add to their respective Bundesliga tallies, as they aim to score for the fifth league game running.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Kabak, Grillitsch, Drexler; Kaderabek, Promel, Stach, Skov, Jurasek; Kramaric, Weghorst, Beier
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Henrichs, Orban, Castello, Raum; Olmo, Haidara, Schlager, Xavi; Sesko, Openda
We say: Hoffenheim 1-2 RB Leipzig
Friday's game has the potential to be high-scoring, with Hoffenheim failing to keep a clean sheet in 26 league matches and Leipzig conceding in 12 consecutive road games in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig are backed to continue their fine form in a match they enter as favourites, having defeated Hoffenheim in five straight matches in all competitions, losing once in 13 previous games against Die Kraichgauer.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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