Stuttgart v Hoffenheim

The StattoBets team are on tour this weekend [hence the quieter than usual site activity this week - Ed] taking in Stuttgart v Hoffenheim at the Mercesdes Benz Arena, so it only feels right that we cover this one in with at least a passing glance.

It's a big match for both clubs, with Stuttgart chasing seventh place in Bundesliga for a place in the Europa League next season (assuming Bayern Munich win the DFB Cup), and Hoffenheim still battling for a Champions League place.

Stuttgart have enjoyed something of a roller coaster season, with Hannes Wolf sacked in January after a tough run which saw the club loitering around the relegation zone. Tayfun Korkut was brought in, and since then the club have enjoyed a 7-4-1 sequence of results - their only defeat being a tough away match at Borussia Dortmund, It's been a great run, but in that spell they have scored just 14 and conceded 9, so it's probably fair to say they have ridden their luck somewhat.

Hoffenheim are also a team who are flying at the moment - unbeaten in nine, winning six of those. That run included a terrific 5-2 away win at RB Leipzig, and the Germans have been playing the sort of open expansive football for which they have become known over the year - their last 14 games have produced a whopping 57 goals (4.07 per match). That's quite some total, so it will be intriguing to see how this one plays outs.

The absence of Serge Gnarby is a big loss for Hoffenheim - he's scored seven in his last eight, passing the responsbility of getting goals onto former Leicester man Andrej Kramaric, but they are big shoes to fill and on balance, Stuttgart look overpriced in this one at 21/10 with Sporting Bet.

1pt Stuttgart to beat Hoffenheim at 21/10

#Football