Bayern Munich make the trip to Hoffenheim on Saturday as they look to continue the momentum gained by an impressive start to the new Bundesliga season.
Hoffenheim were beaten on the opening weekend and they will look to kick-start their campaign with a surprise victory against the champions.
Hoffenheim
© Getty Images
A busy summer of change at Hoffenheim has seen the first-team squad take on a very different look, but the new faces were unable to make a positive start to the new season as they slipped to a 2-1 loss against Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena.
In truth, there was plenty for Markus Gisdol to be pleased about last weekend after watching his side frustrate the hosts for much of the match until Julian Brandt scored the winner. However, the Hoffenheim boss will be fully aware that the result serves as a reminder about how far behind the top clubs they still are.
During a match dominated by the Leverkusen attack, Hoffenheim seemed to lack a threat going forward and the opening-day defeat suggests that it could be difficult to fill the void left by departed striking duo Anthony Modeste and Sven Schipplock, who joined FC Koln and Hamburger SV respectively in the summer.
Despite his excellent work since arriving at the club, Gisdol will surely be feeling the pressure after a disappointing start to the season also saw them lose to 1860 Munich in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
Hoffenheim will be without the ball for long spells on Saturday, and they simply cannot afford to waste any chances, which piles the pressure on the likes of Kevin Volland and Kevin Kuranyi. Volland, in particular, is facing a big season as he looks to prove that he can fulfil his undoubted potential, and an impressive display against the champions could come as a huge boost to the forward and the club.
Recent form: L
Recent form (all competitions): LL
Bayern Munich
© Getty Images
A 5-0 victory on the first night of the campaign should perhaps be talked about for more than just a few hours, but Bayern's thrashing of Hamburger SV came as no surprise to anyone after their dominance on the way to winning the title last season.
After being handed the honour of kicking off the new season, Bayern responded perfectly to record another emphatic win and make it 36 goals in their last six home matches against Hamburg.
It was a trademark display from Pep Guardiola's side, who dictated the tempo of the match from the first whistle and sliced open the Hamburg defence with apparent ease in the second half, but the performances of his new signings were arguably the biggest positive of the night.
Many have suggested that Douglas Costa could struggle to secure a regular spot ahead of the likes of Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze, but the Brazilian made a fine start to his Bundesliga career with a display full of tricks, excellent wing play and a fine goal.
Arturo Vidal, the man trusted to add a physical edge to the Bayern midfield, was quietly impressive at both ends of the pitch, and the improvements to the squad is enough to suggest that it could be a long nine months for the teams hopeful of closing the gap on the champions.
Guardiola continues to avoid questions about his future, but the Spaniard will be aware that he is likely to be judged on Bayern's displays in the Champions League before his current deal expires next summer. The speculation is unlikely to affect him, and another comfortable win should ensure that the focus remains on the pitch until those questions are finally answered.
Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): WW
Team News
© Getty Images
After starting his first Bundesliga game since March against Hamburg, Arjen Robben has insisted that he is fit enough to play 90 minutes once again following a 65-minute cameo at the Allianz Arena.
Ribery is still unavailable due to his own injury issues, while Thiago Alcantara and Gotze could be set to start on the bench for the second successive match as Guardiola looks poised to name an unchanged side.
Gisdol could consider a change of shape for the toughest test in the Bundesliga, and Tobias Strobl is in contention to return to the side in midfield.
Kuranyi is the player likely to miss out should Hoffenheim make a reshuffle, which could mean that Volland is trusted to play as the lone strike against the champions.
Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:
Baumann, Kaderabek, Schar, Sule, Jin-Su Kim, Schwegler, Polanski, Strobl, Schmid, Zuber, Volland
Bayern possible starting lineup:
Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Benatia, Alaba, Alonso, Vidal, Robben, Costa, Muller, Lewandowski
Head To Head
Very few teams can claim to have a decent record against Bayern in recent years, but it is unlikely that any side have struggled against the Bavarian club as much as Hoffenheim.
Since arriving in the Bundesliga for the first time in 2008, Hoffenheim have been unable to win any of their 14 league meetings with Bayern and the club's fans have witnessed 10 losses during that stretch.
Mario Gomez scored a hat-trick when Bayern recorded their biggest win over Hoffenheim with a 7-1 triumph in March 2012.
We say: Hoffenheim 0-3 Bayern Munich
Hoffenheim will need to produce an improved performance to stand any chance of avoiding a second successive defeat. Gisdol's side can recover from any loss at this stage of the season, and it would be a shock if Bayern did not walk away with three points in comfortable fashion this weekend.
No Data Analysis info
