The new round of Bundesliga action kicks off Friday with an intriguing clash as unbeaten Dortmund takes on a Hoffenheim team that has won four games in a row.
Hoffenheim is also among the league’s most prolific teams, and bookmaker 10bet expects another high-scoring encounter at Rhein-Neckar-Arena, offering odds at 1.95 for over 3.5 goals. The odds are at 3.10 for over 4.5 goals.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 28th, 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Hoffenheim has gone through something of a rebirth over the summer after struggling badly for most of the previous campaign. Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side totaled just 36 points last season and finished only three points ahead of the bottom three. However, Hoffenheim has already put 12 points on the board this season, winning each game after losing its season opener to Freiburg.
Matarazzo’s master plan includes a prolific strike duo. Maximilian Beier and Andrej Kramaric have combined for seven of the team’s 12 goals this season. Beier has scored in four consecutive games ahead of Friday’s battle and looks certain to get a chance to extend his streak as a starter, with Wout Weghorst an injury doubt for the contest.
Dortmund hasn’t exactly been goal-shy either this season, although two of the team’s three league wins have come with a minimal 1-0 scoreline. The failure to break down struggling Bochum and Heidenheim will have frustrated manager Edin Terzic, but Dortmund has maintained an unbeaten record and sits only two points adrift from co-leaders Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
The BVB will be chasing a fifth consecutive victory in this match-up and hopes to see Donyell Malen maintain his good form. The Dutch forward has started the new campaign with three goals in five appearances. He totaled 14 Bundesliga goals in his first two seasons in Germany, and Terzic must be delighted by Malen’s improved strike rate in 2023-24.
Dortmund’s defensive efforts have also had a big part in the early season success. The team has conceded only five times, joining Bayern, Frankfurt, and Leipzig among the top defensive sides in the league. With Hoffenheim firing on all cylinders, another rock-solid performance at the back will be crucial to head home with three points on Friday.
A season ago, Dortmund managed to shut out Hoffenheim in both fixtures, winning each outing 1-0, with Julian Brandt and Marco Reus taking care of the goals. However, Hoffenheim had scored six goals in three previous head-to-head clashes, meaning Dortmund has suffered plenty of headaches in this fixture despite boasting a six-game unbeaten run against the Blues.
