Hoffenheim - Bochum predictions

With the 1.70 being what they are, we don’t expect anything other than a home win. Pulling off anything else would be a gargantuan task for Bochum, so we’d stay away unless you’re looking for a long shot on purpose.

An away win in this match would be a huge surprise and an equally big achievement for Bochum who could consider themselves fortunate if they run away with a point in the bag.

Hoffenheim are coming on the back of a 1:1 draw in their latest away game at Stuttgart . Though such a result can’t be called a triumph, it’s about as close to it as you can get. Stuttgart were considered a safe bet at odds of 1.30 – but Hoffenheim took an early lead, and the favourites barely managed to equalize before the end.

Unlike in this match, Bochum had the support of their home fans in the previous matchup. Unfortunately, they were still the clear underdogs compared to Wolfsburg and predictably lost the game 1:3 after spending most of the runtime playing from behind.

The biggest issue the hosts have is a lacklustre backline. They’re currently on a bit of a trend of conceding a lot of goals – over 5 across their 3 previous matches, to be exact.

Given 9 goals conceded in their own net over the past 3 matches, Bochum's defensive line is much to be desired.

In terms of head-to-head stats, the closest point of reference right now is from last season when Hoffenheim walked away with a decisive victory. This is an entirely new campaign but most top online bookies are still expecting the match to end in their favour.

They may be favoured to win, but the home team are still playing at an extreme disadvantage because a lot of their players suffered an injury recently. Dennis Geiger, Pavel Kadeřábek, Ihlas Bebou, Finn Ole Becker, Tim Drexler, Grischa Prömel will not be able to play, putting the team in a dangerous situation.

An Over 3.5 Goals bet may seem somewhat risky, but it’s a lot more probable than usual. It’s a great pick if the betting value is what you’re after, but some might prefer a somewhat safer choice.