A Top Clash: Die Kraichgauer and Die Fohlen Battle for Bundesliga Places

TSG Hoffenheim vs Borussia Monchengladbach

Football fans who are following the German top flight know that Borussia Dortmund are steadily piling victory after victory. As the possibility of catching up becomes slimmer by the day, the only thing the rest of the Bundesliga could do is hold on to their positions and pray that the BVB slip.

However, Dortmund’s dominance doesn’t mean that there aren’t any meaningful football matches to catch! The German league has always been known for fantastic attacking football, and I don’t think this battle between TSG Hoffenheim and Borussia Monchengladbach will disappoint!

Gladbach have enjoyed a blazing-hot start to their season. Meanwhile, Hoffenheim have struggled to juggle the league and Europe with much success in Julian Nagelsmann’s final season with the club that gave him.

That doesn’t mean that they will simply roll over and let Gladbach get another three points without any resistance. Expect Hoffenheim vs Monchengladbach odds to be intriguing as these two big sides clash at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena.

Talking Points

Nagelsmann’s got a lot of Kraich-ing to do

Expect goals galore when Hoffenheim host Borussia Monchengladbach in Bundesliga — Hoffenheim players vs Manchester City midfielder Leroy Sane

Hoffenheim have been fortunate enough to enjoy the managerial brilliance of Julian Nagelsmann, but his last hurrah with the club that gave him the stage to thrive has been nothing but easy.

They crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages after being grouped with Manchester City, Lyon and Shakhtar Donetsk. They could have gone out with a bang against Manchester City, but a Leroy Sane double denied what could have been a fantastic victory for Nagelsmann.

Now that they are out of the top European league, they can now choose to focus on the league and come back to the Champions League by securing a Champions League spot next season. Hoffenheim haven’t had the best season so far as their tough schedule denied them of a spot at the top four.

However, a lessened level of involvement in the Europa League should help Die Kraichgauer get back on track and challenge for the Champions League spots once more. They have proven that they have the talent to do so as they fought Dortmund to a draw during season’s early days.

Everything can go smoothly for the hosts if they play their full-strength squad. Both Andrej Kramaric and Reiss Nelson have been especially prolific for Nagelsmann at six goals apiece, and many of the Starting XI have been performing well in the German top flight.

As long as nothing unsightly in the defence happens, there should be no way Hoffenheim would not earn points from this duel.

Gladbach happy to be back in second

Borussia Monchengladbach have firmly established themselves as favourites to finish in the top half of the Bundesliga table. The only question that bugs many a punter’s minds is whether they will finish second or fall from grace and finish the season without European competition.

So far, the lack of football outside of Germany has done a lot of favours for Dieter Hecking’s club. They have won nine of the 14 games they have played so far this season, one of which was a comfortable triumph over Stuttgart. Moreover, I don’t think they will stop winning any time soon.

However, their defeat to RB Leipzig was a painful reminder to the optimistic supporters that this is still the Bundesliga. There are a good number of competitive teams in the German top flight that can cause damage to them if they’re not careful enough.

Fortunately for the die-hard supporters of Die Fohlen, they have two outstanding weapons that can get them out of multiple ditches. Alassane Plea and Thorgan Hazard have flourished as the team’s top scorers, providing plenty of Bundesliga 2018 highlights. With both strikers netting eight goals each, Gladbach have a legitimate threat that will hound Hoffenheim’s defence for 90 minutes.

History

The jury is still out on which side is the better one in their head-to-head matches. Of the 23 games they have played, nine were won by the hosts while six were claimed by the guests. Eight of those results were draws.

Whenever they play each other, one of two probabilities happens: they match each other’s strikes and finish with a draw, or they overwhelm the opposition and comfortably win against their opponents. The most notable result was the 1-3 away victory Gladbach won against Hoffenheim in October 2017.

Both sides have scored multiple goals over the last five games, so it’s not weird to expect both teams to score goals.

Betting Tip

	TSG Hoffenheim vs Borussia Monchengladbach	Over 3.75 Goals @ 2.25
	December 15, 22:30 (GMT+8)

The Rhein-Neckar-Arena has been a tough environment to play in recent games as Hoffenheim haven’t lost in their stomping grounds over the last seven home Bundesliga games. Meanwhile, Gladbach’s away form in the league has been patchy over the past two months. This match can easily get unpredictable.

There’s one thing we can rely on when it comes to this matchup. Both sides have been scoring like nobody’s business, as we can expect strikers from both teams to find goals through the 90 minutes. Moreover, their head-to-heads have been high-scoring affairs.

Putting all of those into consideration, I see this match ending in a draw. Moreover, it’s not a bad bet to aim for the stars and shoot for a high over-under score in the SBOBET Bundesliga market. There are also interesting odds for Gladbach in the Asian Handicap and the Correct Score markets if you’re feeling especially lucky.