Bundesliga: Leipzig and Hoffenheim Will Light it Up at Red Bull Arena

RB Leipzig vs TSG Hoffenheim

Bundesliga fans might be in for a shootout this Saturday, as RB Leipzig are set to host Hoffenheim at Red Bull Arena for the 15^th matchday of the 2023-24 season.

Both teams are gunning for a top four spot in the German top-flight table. And right now, RB Leipzig have the edge with 29 points, but Hoffenheim aren’t far behind since they are the sixth seed with 23 points.

RB Leipzig also have the edge in terms of recent form because they’ve won three of their last five Bundesliga matches, whereas Hoffenheim finally put an end to their winless run last time out with a timely victory against VfL Bochum on Saturday.

Learn more about these two top four hopefuls by reading this SBOTOP preview.

Talking Points

Openda and Sesko are huge attacking threats

Expect Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko to be in the rumour mill come January, as both RB Leipzig stalwarts have several suitors monitoring them due to their fine performances this season.

Manchester United are one of the teams said to be interested in Openda and Sesko, although the Red Devils could only realistically get one of them, which makes sense given their lack of attacking depth.

Openda and Sesko are actually regularly competing internally for the starting No. 9 spot under Marco Rose, but both are holding their own since they’ve combined for 19 goals and three assists in all competitions this year thus far.

These two strikers have yet to reach 25 years old, which means that time is on their side. And with Xavi Simons pulling the strings as their No. 10, that will only further hasten their development.

However, the adverse effect of Openda and Sesko’s rise is Timo Werner being left out of the rotation, which is a shame since he was once their wunderkind not too long ago.

Hoffenheim nearing franchise scoring record

Hoffenheim have continued their upward trajectory after escaping relegation last season, and they did it by rediscovering their shooting boots, as in their last 18 straight Bundesliga games, Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men have scored at least one goal.

If they find the back of the net again on Saturday, they would equal the club record that they set in 2016-17, when Julian Nagelsmann was still their head coach.

Robert Skov and Andrej Kramaric, with eight goals and three assists combined, finally got the help that they needed up front, as Maximilian Beier and Wout Weghorst are picking up the scoring this year.

Beier’s three-year loan stint at Hannover 96 has worked out for him since the 21-year-old is now leading Hoffenheim in scoring with six goals this season.

Meanwhile, Wout Weghorst is enjoying his Bundesliga return because he has already scored four goals, which is already double what he had at Manchester United in his six-month loan stint last term.

History

RB Leipzig have defeated Hoffenheim in each of their last four encounters across all competitions. Overall, the Red Bulls only lost once in their last 12 matches against Die Kraichgauer (W9, D2), which was a 2-0 loss in November 2021.

Marco Rose’s side currently boasts the longest unbeaten run at home of any Bundesliga side, with their last home loss being a 3-0 defeat against Mainz last April (W9, D2).

They’re two games away from matching their best unbeaten run since the 2019-20 season, when they were undefeated at home in 13 consecutive games.

Hoffenheim have claimed 16 points from seven road games this season, which is a club record at this juncture and already three more points than they had in the whole of last season (13).

But after winning five straight on the road, Die Kraichgauer have only managed to pick up a point from their last two away games (1-1 in Augsburg on November 11).

Betting Tip

The Bundesliga 2023 odds have RB Leipzig as the favourites to win this weekend, as they are installed at 1.43, while Hoffenheim are the underdogs at 5.30, and a draw is at 4.60 odds in the 1×2 market.

We agree that the hosts will win this one, and we expect both teams to make it to this week’s Bundesliga 2023 highlights reel, making Total Goals 2-3 at 2.32 and Over 3.75 at 2.21 bets to consider, with the former being the safer choice.

RB Leipzig Asian Handicap -1.50 at 2.19 offers similar value. However, Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of the hosts – the result of their previous meeting – is also on the cards at a whopping 11.50.

 

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