Dortmund v Hoffenheim Betting Tips: Visitors not to be underestimated at Westfalenstadion

If it wasn’t for the rise of RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim’s consistent presence towards the top of the Bundesliga table would’ve been talked about much more this season. The work of 29-year-old Julian Nagelsmann and his team really should be applauded and it’s fair to say that Hoffenheim, who secured Champions League football with a win last weekend, have been one of the success stories of the campaign, not just in Germany but in Europe on the whole.

On the other hand, by their usual lofty standards, it’s been a pretty poor campaign for Dortmund, and Thomas Tuchel’s men now find themselves needing to beat Hoffenheim in order to put the possibility of a top three finish into their own hands. However, getting the better of this Hoffenheim team has proven to be a tough task this season and the hosts will get anything but an easy ride here.

From a betting point of view, considering just how impressive the visitors have been, it’s hard to see how Dortmund justify such red-hot favouritism. ‘Hoffenheim +1 Handicap’, at 13/8, sticks out like a sore thumb.

Some might think that now Hoffenheim are guaranteed to finish in the top four they may take their foot of the gas, but that just isn’t how Julian Naglesmann’s men operate. Plus, finishing 3rd instead 4th doesn’t just mean a greater financial gain, it also means bypassing the Champions League qualification stages and going straight into the hat for the groups. With this in mind, it’s hard to imagine the effort levels of this hard-working side dropping here.

The visitors have been particularly difficult to beat this season and have managed to combine a real workman-like style with both good possession football and the ability to pounce on the counter. Teams often find it hard to break Julian Nagelsmann’s side down before being made to pay at the other end. They might not have won all that often on their travels, but Hoffenheim have lost just three times and have tended to thrive in matches where the other team has made the running – something that is almost guaranteed in this fixture.

Much like Hoffenheim have thrived in matches where they’ve had less of the ball, Dortmund have shown a tendency to be caught out when they have more of it. Thomas Tuchel’s men are indeed unbeaten on their own patch, but, as their recent 0-0 draw with Köln proved, they’re certainly not infallible. What’s more, their recent defeat against Monaco in the Champions League also proved that they’re extremely susceptible to the counter. Hoffenheim might not quite have the searing pace of Monaco’s Kylian Mbappé, but what they do possess in incredible organisation and a track record of hurting teams on the break.

All things considered, having already taken four points from two matches against Bundesliga big boys Bayern, Hoffenheim have shown that they can tussle with the best and, at the prices, are fancied to secure another positive result on Saturday afternoon.

More Bundesliga tips can be found here.