Hoffenheim v Stuttgart: Hosts seek first points as high-scoring Bundesliga clash looms

Hoffenheim will host Stuttgart in the third round of the German Bundesliga on 12 September, with the home side still without a point and the visitors arriving after two successive wins in all competitions. The recent form of both teams points towards an open game with plenty of goals.

Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim sit 16th in the table before the third round and are one of three teams yet to register a point in the competition.

They began their campaign with a 3-2 defeat by Koln before losing by the same scoreline to Borussia Dortmund. Hoffenheim appeared to be in control against Dortmund after moving 2-0 ahead at the start of the second half, but conceded three times and ended the match empty-handed.

Despite the result, Hoffenheim produced encouraging attacking statistics in that second-round fixture. They had 18 shots, 60% possession and an expected-goals figure of 1.75.

Stuttgart

Stuttgart have already played four competitive matches this season. Their campaign began with a 4-0 victory over Hansa in the first round of the German Cup, before they suffered a 5-1 defeat by Bayern Munich in the opening round of the Bundesliga.

They responded strongly by beating Koln 4-1, a result which left them ninth in the German Bundesliga table. Josh Vagnoman is Stuttgart’s leading scorer in the league so far, with two goals.

Stuttgart also secured an impressive result in Europe this week, defeating Viking 3-1 in their opening match of the Champions League group stage. Ermedin Demirovic scored a hat-trick in a 12-minute spell.

Head-to-head record and prediction

Stuttgart have the stronger chance of victory going into the match, while Hoffenheim have lost three of their past five games. The visitors, meanwhile, have won three of their last four matches.

The two sides have drawn four consecutive meetings, with the most recent encounter ending 3-3.

A high-scoring contest is expected in Sinsheim. Both teams have shown an attacking approach at the start of the Bundesliga season, even though Hoffenheim’s performances have not yet produced any points.