Preview: OFI Crete vs Hoffenheim - prediction, team news, lineups

Kicking off their Europa League campaign, Bundesliga side Hoffenheim will travel to face league-phase debutants OFI Crete at Pankritio Stadium on Thursday.

O Omilos come into this clash in excellent form, while Die Kraichgauer will be hoping to ensure their win last time out was not a one-off.

Match preview

Christos Kontis's OFI fought their way through a playoff to reach the Europa League proper for the very first time, and they will be out to prove their presence in the competition is more than a mere novelty.

O Omilos earned a place in the final qualifying round by winning the 2025-26 Greek Cup, and capitalised by thoroughly beating CSKA Sofia 5-0 on aggregate last month.

Preparing for their foray into Europe, Kontis's side have put together an impressive three-game winning streak, most recently downing giants Olympiacos 1-0 on Saturday, courtesy of a second-half effort from striker Kenan Kodro.

That victory marked OFI's fourth consecutive clean sheet, a remarkable defensive record that will give the underdogs hope ahead of Thursday's showdown.

Adding to the hosts' sense of optimism is the fact they have won all four of their home matches in 2026-27, and are yet to concede a goal at Pankritio Stadium, not to mention the club have only lost one of their nine outings this term - a 2-1 defeat against Aris Thessaloniki on August 30.

Meanwhile, Christian Ilzer's Hoffenheim are returning to the Europa League after one season away, and will be hoping to avoid a repeat of their disappointing league-phase exit from the 2024-25 iteration of the tournament.

However, Die Kraichgauer have endured a mixed campaign so far, winning twice and losing twice, and are yet to prove their consistency this term.

Ilzer's side kicked off 2026-27 by thrashing Erzgebirge Aue 4-0 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, but followed up with consecutive defeats from their first two Bundesliga outings - 3-2 against FC Koln and 3-2 against Borussia Dortmund.

Dropping six points at the start of the German top flight calendar was frustrating for Hoffenheim, especially considering they took the lead in both matches, but fans remained hopeful after seeing the team's attacking potential.

That faith was rewarded on Saturday, when Die Kraichgauer earned their first league win of the season by beating Stuttgart 2-1 at SNP Arena, thanks to a brace from Adam Hlozek.

Hoffenheim will be the favourites on Thursday, and if they can continue their trend of scoring at least twice in every game so far, then the visitors look likely to secure back-to-back triumphs for the first time this campaign.

OFI Crete form (all competitions):

Hoffenheim form (all competitions):

Team News

OFI are without right-back Nikos Marinakis and have doubts about the fitness of centre-back Dimitrios Nikolaou, who was forced off with a hip injury against Olympiacos.

With that in mind, Konstantinos Kostoulas, Achilleas Poungouras and Christos Sielis look set to form Kontis's three-man defence, flanked by wing-backs Lorenzo Dickmann and Nikolaos Athanasiou.

As for Hoffenheim, they are missing winger Alexander Prass, who is a couple of weeks away from returning from a muscle injury he sustained in early August.

In his absence, Bambase Conte and Adam Daghim could start out wide on Thursday, supporting striker Tim Lemperle up top alongside Adam Hlozek.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Ozan Kabak and Albian Hajdari will be protecting Oliver Baumann in goal, just behind a double pivot of Leon Avdullahu and Wouter Burger.

OFI Crete possible starting lineup:

Christogeorgos; Kostoulas, Poungouras, Sielis; Dickmann, Androutsos, Bouchalakis, Athanasiou; Fountas, Cantalapiedra; Kodro

Hoffenheim possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Gendrey, Kabak, Hajdari, Rots; Avdullahu, Burger; Conte, Hlozek, Daghim; Lemperle

We say: OFI Crete 1-2 Hoffenheim

OFI are in strong form, and their impressive defensive record suggests that Thursday's contest is likely to be a close affair.

Hoffenheim have been inconsistent in terms of results this season, but having scored at least twice in each of their four outings so far, the German side's attacking firepower should be enough to earn all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.