Preview: Arminia Bielefeld vs. Hoffenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

Arminia Bielefeld and Hoffenheim will clash in the fifth round of Bundesliga fixtures on Saturday, as both sides look to bounce back from defeats last time out.

The hosts currently occupy 13th spot in the Bundesliga table with three points to their name, while their hosts sit just one point better off after four outings.

Match preview

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After narrowly avoiding the drop last season, thanks to a strong run of form in the final games, Arminia Bielefeld will have headed into the new campaign with the hopes of a more comfortable finish, and they earned several commendable points to begin.

Frank Kramer's men held Freiburg to a goalless draw on the opening day, before making it two points from two games as they withstood pressure to see out a 1-1 draw away at newly-promoted Greuther Furth, with Fabian Klos putting them ahead on the stroke of half time before Branimir Hrgota quickly levelled the scores in the second half.

After battling with 10 men for the final 20 minutes of that game, Die Arminen earned another impressive point heading into the international break, as an 86th-minute Patrick Wimmer equaliser saw them salvage a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt, who finished fifth last season.

Following that creditable start, Kramer's side were unable to extend their unbeaten run upon their return from the break on Sunday, as a trip to Borussia Monchengladbach resulted in a 3-1 away defeat, with second-half goals from Denis Zakaria and Lars Stindl taking the game out of their hands.

Despite the defeat last time out, Die Blauen can certainly take positives from their start to the season, and they will now hope to bounce back with what would be an impressive victory on Saturday.

They host a Hoffenheim side who will look to return to winning ways after consecutive defeats when they arrive in Bielefeld.

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A narrow 3-2 victory over third-tier Viktoria Koln after extra time in the DFB-Pokal did not provide the most positive signs for Hoffenheim heading into the Bundesliga campaign, but Sebastian Hoeness's side did still manage to start in style in the league, as they thrashed Augsburg 4-0 away from home thanks to goals from Jacob Bruun Larsen, Sargis Adamyan, Georginio Rutter and Sebastian Rudy.

After a 2-2 draw with Union Berlin, Die Kraichgauer looked to have salvaged an impressive draw of the same scoreline when they travelled to take on Borussia Dortmund, as Munas Dabbur hit a 90th-minute equaliser, but their hopes were dashed as Erling Braut Haaland immediately restored the hosts' lead to secure all three points.

In their return to action on Saturday, Hoeness's men welcomed Mainz, and goals from Jonathan Burkardt and Marcus Ingvartsen saw them handed a 2-0 defeat on home turf.

After a strong end to last season saw them achieve an 11th-placed finish in the German top flight, Hoffenheim will be keen to push further up the league this time around, while they will also look to return to winning ways on their travels on Saturday.

Team News

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Arminia Bielefeld's only absentee should be midfielder Sebastian Vasiliadis, who recently arrived from Paderborn.

Patrick Wimmer and Fabian Klos should again lead the line, having both got on the scoresheet already this season, while Masaya Okugawa and Robin Hack will offer threat from the flanks.

Joakim Nilsson and Amos Pieper will continue to partner up at centre-back, with Cedric Brunner and Jacob Barrett Laursen completing the back four.

Hoffenheim will remain without Ermin Bicakcic and Benjamin Hubner, as the pair continue to recover from ACL and ankle issues respectively.

Havard Nordtveit is also unlikely to return, leaving Florian Grillitsch and Dennis Geiger to battle to partner Sebastian Rudy in the engine room.

The key man in their attack is Andrej Kramaric, who has registered four assists in four Bundesliga outings so far this campaign after hitting 20 goals in 28 league games last season.

Arminia Bielefeld possible starting lineup:

Ortega; Brunner, Pieper, Nilsson, Laursen; Okugawa, Schopf, Prietl, Hack; Wimmer, Klos

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Kaderabek, Richards, Vogt, Raum; Baumgartner, Grillitsch, Rudy, Skov; Bebou, Kramaric

We say: Arminia Bielefeld 1-2 Hoffenheim

Despite failing to impress last time out, we still see Hoffenheim having the quality to get over the line against a side that they have not lost to in the last four outings.

Kramaric has proven himself as a creative hub this season, and if Hoeness's men can find a way to get him on the ball in scoring areas, they should benefit from his firepower.