Hoffenheim vs Freiburg prediction: GERMANY: Bundesliga betting tips on match 2023-08-18 13:30.
At long last, Bundesliga football returns to the PreZero Arena after Hoffenheim ended last season in a relatively comfortable 12th, albeit just three points above the drop zone. They’ll be hoping to kick on up the league this time around, and the acquisition of imposing striker Wout Weghorst for the coming campaign should help with that goal.
He’s just part of what will be a new look Hoffenheim after a summer of change, with boss Pellegrino Matarazzo putting his own stamp on the side after overseeing his first full pre-season. The American coach came in part way through last season, and after opening his tenure with five straight defeats, a run of seven unbeaten league games from his next ten to this point ultimately kept Hoffenheim afloat (W5, D2, L3).
After overseeing the highest points total (59) and joint-best finish (fifth) since his appointment almost 12 years ago, the piece of Freiburg furniture that is Christian Streich will lead his men into the fray once again. This time he’ll have European football to juggle alongside their Bundesliga duties, so continually improving may prove difficult for the club, especially in the wake of club record goalscorer Nils Petersen’s recent retirement.
The big transfer news as far as Freiburg have been concerned is the departure of Mark Flekken to Brentford, the keeper who kept the joint-most clean sheets in the division last time around (13). That could be bad news as Freiburg seek just a second clean sheet in eight H2Hs with Hoffenheim (W4, D2, L1), but a quick start could remedy that as they’ve begun three of their last four seasons by scoring at least three goals in victory!
Players to watch: Hoffenheim new boy Weghorst has notched an impressive four goals in six meetings with Freiburg, including goals against them in three consecutive seasons whilst at Wolfsburg. Another new man up front, Freiburg’s Junior Adamu arrives after hitting ten goals en route to an Austrian title with RB Salzburg last season, whilst he’s already famously scored against the likes of Bayern Munich and Chelsea in European action!
Hot stat: Both teams have found the net in just one of Freiburg’s last six Bundesliga matchday one games.