TSG Hoffenheim vs Schalke 04 Betting Tips and Predictions

Schalke 04 ended their four game winnless streak in the Bundesliga by taking four points from their last two matches, including a solid 3-1 win over relegated Hannover 96 and a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to FC Augsburg last Saturday. Schalke stand 7th in the Bundesliga, behind Mainz 05 and Hertha Berlin on goal difference, with all three teams tied on 49 points going into the final round of fixtures. Although the trio are guaranteed UEFA Europa League football next season, whether they enter the competition in the third qualifying round or directly into the group stages will be decided by their final league positions. For Schalke to avoid having to enter the tournament in its third qualifying round in July – and thus earn themselves a longer holiday by avoiding training early – they need a positive result against Hoffenheim.

TSG Hoffenheim have had some emotional swings to endure this season. After a solid top 10 finish last season, Hoffenheim began the season poorly and occupied an automatic relegation place uninterrupted for seventeen matchdays until mid-March. Hoffenheim found form at the perfect time going five unbeaten, with four wins and one draw, and despite only taking three points from their last three matches (W1 L2), losing 1-0 away to relegated Hannover 96 last time out, the hosts Hoffenheim succesfully secured their place for another season in the top-flight last weekend thanks to results elsewhere. Hoffenheim’s “Great Escape” from relegation must be credited to the revolutionary work of the Bundesliga’s youngest ever coach, Julian Nagelsmann.

While Hoffenheim have a really solid record at home in recent weeks, winning five and drawing one from their last six, their 1-0 defeat away to Hannover 96 last Saturday was a very underwhelming performance. Schalke 04 have put in some decent performances over a difficult set of fixtures and certainly have “more to play for” with direct qualification into the Europa League at stake (and an extended holiday). Hoffenheim haven’t failed to score at home in 7 matches, while Schalke are also in decent goal-scoring form, averaging 2 goals per game over their last three matches, so we should expect goals from both sides in this match. Combining the form trends and above analysis with the statistics below, we expect Schalke to win or draw with both teams to score to be the safe bet as Hoffenheim have “nothing” to play for, having already secured themselves another season in the Bundesliga. We feel Schalke 04 has the edge, being also the stronger side on paper, and therefore a final result of Schalke 04 to win 3-1 at 14/1 (Schalke’s most common away win result) seems top value in this match.

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