German Bundesliga
2009-09-12 - TSG Hoffenheim vs VfL Bochum
A Sports Betting Pick by Niko
Football: Germany, Bundesliga 2009/2010
Rhein-Neckar Arena
Saturday 12th September 2009 – kickoff 15:30
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (10th) 1-2-1 2:2
Hoffenheim's last three home matches have ended in a draw and they have scored only two goals so far.
Last season Hoffenheim surprised everyone when they finished at first place before the winter break, but after that they had a dismal second part of the season when they have lost twelve matches and finished seventh at the end of the season.
Hoffenheim midfielder Luiz Gustavo has extended his contract at the club until 30th June 2014, his previous deal was due to expire in 2011. The 22-year-old joined the club from Brazilian side Club de Regatas and has so far made 55 appearances in a Hoffenheim shirt.
Also Joe Simunic from Hertha Berlin was brought in to strengthen the back line.
Hoffenheim have signed another new player the Finnish defender Jukka Raitala. The 20-year-old U21 international arrives initially on loan from Finnish first division club HJK Helsinki, although Hoffenheim have the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
Vedad Ibisevic is back in the team and will be a major threat in the attack.
Dutch first division club Twente Enschede have signed Hoffenheim striker Wellington on loan until the end of the season. The 21-year-old Brazilian has made 19 Bundesliga appearances since arriving in 2008, but has only managed one substitute appearance this term.
Prince Tagoe is due to be examined by a specialist and won`t be in the squad for this match.
VfL Bochum (14th) 1-1-2 5:8
Four members of the first- team squad were away from the team in answer to international call- ups.Two main players of the team Stanislav Sestak and Zlatko Dedic are in excellent form.
Both Bochum forwards scored goals for their national teams in the WC qualifiers. Sestak hit the target against Northern Ireland and Slovenian Dedic against Poland.
Last season the Slovakian International Stanislav Sestak scored three goals against Hoffenheim in 0-3 away win for Bochum. The Swiss coach Marcel Koller expects the good form to continue in the Bundesliga matches starting with the game against Hoffenheim.
The squad is not finalized yet, but neither Vahid Hashemian nor Shinji Ono will join their team and won`t travel to Hoffenheim. Both are not match fit yet.
The appearance of Daniel Imhof (infection) and Diego Klimowicz (back problems) is very doubtful as well. Due to severe toothache, Mergim Mavraj might be also absent in Hoffenheim.
However, team captain Marcel Maltritz has rejoined the training sessions at the beginning of the week and might be a good alternative although he has not practiced for almost a month.
The Betting Verdict
I think Hoffenheim will play a bit defensively and that they have more quality than Bochum but the visitors should not be considered as a weak squad.
I think that they might pull off quite surprises this year and even finish around the mid-table. However, in this match i think that Hoffenheim will squeeze out a hard fought win.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
TSG Hoffenheim 2-1 VfL Bochum
BEST BETTING TIP :
Bet on the HOME WIN for HOFFENHEIM
