SM
Sports Mole words bigger AMP 2
Blackburn vs. Preston: 14 hrs 44 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
HL
Hoffenheim logo
Bundesliga | Gameweek 32
May 8, 2021 at 2.30pm UK
Rhein-Neckar-Arena
S
Schalke

Hoffenheim
4 - 2
Schalke

Kramaric (47'), Akpoguma (52'), Baumgartner (60'), Bebou (64')
Adamyan (62')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Uth (12'), Mustafi (42')
Serdar (35'), Uth (56')

Preview: Hoffenheim vs. Schalke 04 - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Hoffenheim vs. Schalke 04 - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between Hoffenheim and Schalke 04, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Hoffenheim take on Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with the hosts looking to extend their unbeaten run to five matches.

Schalke, meanwhile, simply have pride to play for having already been relegated.


Match preview

Preview: Hoffenheim vs. Schalke - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoffenheim are not completely clear of relegation just yet, but with four teams and seven points between themselves and the relegation playoff position, any risk of them falling into the second tier of German football for the first time since 2008 looks slim.

Sebastian Hoeness has clearly made a conscious effort to tighten up the defence in recent weeks, with his side impressively keeping clean sheets against Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig before overturning a 2-0 deficit to beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-2.

Die Kraichgauer were less than 10 minutes of normal time away from keeping a third clean sheet in four matches last time out against Freiburg, but Vincenzo Grifo's late penalty cancelled out Andrej Kramaric's first-half strike to earn a share of the spoils.

Hoeness will certainly be targeting a win against struggling Schalke to all but secure safety for his side, while earning revenge for the 4-0 defeat to them in January.

Preview: Hoffenheim vs. Schalke - prediction, team news, lineups

Indeed, that victory was Schalke's first in the league for almost an entire calendar year, but it did not bring about the dramatic upturn in form which would have been required for them to mount an escape from relegation.

The club have changed manager since then, too, with Dimitrios Grammozis only winning one of his seven matches in charge so far.

Any hopes of him adding to that tally last time out against Arminia Bielefeld were significantly damaged by Malick Thiaw's 71st-minute red card after Fabian Klos had already provided the opposition with a narrow lead 21 minutes beforehand.

Schalke's 2020-21 season has undoubtedly been one of the worst for any team in Bundesliga history, with only Tasmania Berlin's tally of 10 points in the 1965-66 season worse than Schalke's 13 so far, although they still have time to improve on that of course.

Realistically, it is all about building for life in the second tier of German football now, with the recent signing of experienced second-tier striker Simon Terodde from Hamburger SV certainly reflective of that.

Whether Grammozis is handed the opportunity to be the man to take Schalke back to the top flight may depend on how his side fares in their final four matches of the season.

Hoffenheim Bundesliga form:
  • L
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • W
  • D

Schalke 04 Bundesliga form:
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L



Team News

Hoffenheim's injury crisis shows little signs of easing up, with Hoeness sure to be hoping for much better luck on that front next campaign should he remain in charge.

Dennis Geiger, Ermin Bicakcic and Benjamin Hubner are all expected to miss the rest of the season, with Chris Richards and Stefan Posch facing a race against time to feature again in May having suffered hip injuries.

That leaves Hoeness with major holes to repair at the heart of his defence, with Kevin Vogt and Havard Nordtveit most likely to fill them.

Munas Dabbur is likely to be absent due to personal reasons, while Kostas Stafylidis, Sebastian Rudy and Marco John are all fitness doubts.

Schalke, meanwhile, will travel without Thiaw, Salif Sane and Benjamin Stambouli due to suspensions.

Like his counterpart Hoeness, that leaves Grammozis with a problem at centre-back. Timo Becker may line up alongside Shkodran Mustafi in a back four.

Grammozis has his own lengthy injury list to contend with, too, with Levent Mercan, Hamza Mendyl, Nabil Bentaleb, Nassim Boujellab, Matija Nastasic, Steven Skrzybski and Kilian Ludewig all doubts.

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann; Kaderabek, Vogt, Nordtveit, Sessegnon; Samassekou, Grillitsch; Skov, Kramaric, Adamyan; Bebou

Schalke 04 possible starting lineup:
Fahrmann; Aydin, Mustafi, Becker, Kolasinac; Serdar, Mascarell; Harit, Uth, Hoppe; Huntelaar


We say: Hoffenheim 3-1 Schalke 04

We expect Hoffenheim to put any lingering relegation concerns to bed with a win, although it may not come as easily as expected.

Both sides are missing several key defenders through injury and suspension, so the array of talented attackers on the pitch may well enjoy themselves.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data



body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__446195 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-06-05 12:42:03:
html db last update - 2024-06-05 12:42:03 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Riyad Mahrez arrives home on crutches
Signs of progress! Man United book last-16 Europa League spot with strong display in Romania
Guardiola's Champions League nightmare? Premier League clubs' opponents revealed
Thursday's Europa League predictions including FCSB vs. Man United
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Bayern MunichBayern19153158164248
2Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen19126146262042
3Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt19114444261837
4Stuttgart199553628832
5RB Leipzig199553429532
6Mainz 05Mainz1994633231031
7Wolfsburg198474234828
8Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach198383029127
9Werder Bremen197663336-327
10Freiburg198382636-1027
11Borussia DortmundDortmund197573433126
12Augsburg197482334-1125
13St Pauli1962111721-420
14Union BerlinUnion Berlin195591627-1120
15Hoffenheim194692537-1218
16Heidenheim1942132440-1614
17Holstein Kiel1933132848-2012
18VfL BochumVfL Bochum1924131743-2610
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Thursday's Europa League predictions including FCSB vs. Man United

1

TE
Thursday's Europa League predictions including FCSB vs. Man United

Preview: Newcastle vs. Fulham - prediction, team news, lineups

2

PN
Preview: Newcastle vs. Fulham - prediction, team news, lineups

Preview: PEC Zwolle vs. Utrecht - prediction, team news, lineups

3

PP
Preview: PEC Zwolle vs. Utrecht - prediction, team news, lineups

Moore goals to come? Spurs sensation breaks 67-year-old record

4

MG
Moore goals to come? Spurs sensation breaks 67-year-old record

Could Rodri return to help Man City win the Champions League this season?

5

CR
Could Rodri return to help Man City win the Champions League this season?

Preview: Nijmegen vs. PSV - prediction, team news, lineups

6

PN
Preview: Nijmegen vs. PSV - prediction, team news, lineups

Dias, Ake, Doku, Bobb latest: Man City injury list for Arsenal clash

7

DA
Dias, Ake, Doku, Bobb latest: Man City injury list for Arsenal clash

Could Arteta be without Raya? Arsenal injury list for Man City clash

8

CA
Could Arteta be without Raya? Arsenal injury list for Man City clash

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PB

Preview: Nott'm Forest vs. Brighton - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PN
1x1


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .