Borussia Dortmund vs TSG Hoffenheim

Borussia Dortmund’s quest to secure another Champions League finish continues at Signal Iduna Park against Bundesliga mid-table underachievers TSG Hoffenheim.

Embroiled in a fierce top-four battle with Stuttgart and RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund can’t afford a slip-up amid an eight-game unbeaten Bundesliga run (W4, D4). Edin Terzic’s men have a golden opportunity to extend a one-point lead on fifth-placed Leipzig with a win at Signal Iduna Park, where they’ve not lost any of their nine Bundesliga clashes against the sides starting this round outside the top six (W7, D2). However, any success may warrant patience, as three of Terzic’s five personal H2Hs against Hoffenheim have yielded a narrow 1-0 scoreline (W4, D1). Tired legs could throw a spanner in the works following an exhausting 1-1 Champions League draw against PSV in Eindhoven. But confidence remains high as the hosts are unbeaten in all seven games in 2024 (W4, D3).

Meanwhile, Hoffenheim’s false start to the new calendar year hit a new low last weekend as a 1-0 home defeat to Union Berlin condemned them to a sixth consecutive winless league match in 2024 (D3, L3). Without a clean sheet in the Bundesliga since a 2-0 triumph at Union Berlin in September, the visitors seem destined to fail again, especially considering they’ve lost their last three competitive H2Hs on this ground. Playing on the road has recently been Hoffenheim’s Achilles heel, as they had lost four consecutive away league outings before a 2-2 draw at Wolfsburg on their last Bundesliga travel. Conceding precisely three goals in four of those five matches serves to intensify concerns within the traveling camp.