German Bundesliga
2010-02-27 - Hertha Berlin vs TSG Hoffenheim
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Olympic Stadion
Saturday, 27th February 2010 – kickoff 15:30
Hertha Berlin
Hertha Berlin crashed out of the Europa League by losing 4-0 against Benfica in the second leg and now their focus will solely be on the battle to avoid relegation in the Bundesliga.
Eleven matches are remaining to the end of this season and every single one of them will be like a final match for Hertha Berlin. They are slowly improving although they are still at the last place with only 15 points, but the gap between the bottom teams is much closer. The difference between the safe 15th place and the last place is just four points at the moment which gives hope for Hertha Berlin.
Last weekend the team showed very good performance in Freiburg where they have beat the hosts 3-0, which boosted their confidence. Now they are looking for another win which could move them away from the last spot for the first time this season.
There are some good news in the team since the match with Benfica, Kobiashvili is back again in the squad after his cold. Fabian Lustenberger, Roman Hubnik and Theofanis Gekas are also match fit again. The striker Gojko Kacar is back in the team again but he will probably start the match from the bench.
Adrian Ramos will be in the attack and he will be partnered by Theofanis Gekas.
TSG Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim, unlike the last season, plays a mediocre football this season and are positioned at the mid table without any bigger ambitions or expectations. It is always hard for a team that gets in the Bundesliga and has a great season to repeat the same success the following season.
Last weekend they had a good game against Borussia Monchengladbach where they were two goals down but managed a comeback to secure a point in the last minute of the match.
The central defender Josip Simunic is still injured (calf) and he will probably not be able to help his teammates against his last season`s club. Furthermore, his replacement Per Nilsson also injured his knee during training session last week so he is also doubtful for selection. Luis Gustavo (suspended), Andreas Beck and Chinedu Obasi (both injured) are all out of competition which lowers Hoffenheim chances of good result in Berlin.
Vedad Ibisevic and Carlos Eduardo will be in the attack and Demba Ba will also probably start the match behind the two strikers although his current form is in decline. Vedad Ibisevic had a hat-trick when these teams met in the first match.
The Betting Verdict
These teams have played total of three games against each other so far and Hertha Berlin have won twice and Hoffenheim once. Hoffenheim won the first match this season when they hammered Hertha Berlin 5-1 at home.
Now, Hertha Berlin will play quite different as they have several first team players back for this match and they desperately need wins in order to achieve their goal to survive in the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim are comfortable in the mid table, 12 points clear of the relegation zone so the pressure will be on Hertha Berlin.
It is always difficult to predict bottom teams performances when they fight to avoid relegation as they can be very inconsistent,but Hertha Berlin will have tougher matches ahead so this is a good opportunity for them to use the advantage that they have in more healthy players and their fairly good league form at the moment. The form of Hoffenheim is in decline at the moment and probably Hertha Berlin will find a way for a tight win over their opponents.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Hertha Berlin-TSG Hoffenheim 2-1
